Friday April 27, 2012 at approximately 2:15PM, I parked my vehicle on Main Street and ran into the bank. Less than five minutes later, I exited the bank to find a parking ticket on my windshield.
Today, Cecelia and I went to the Keene Police Department where I stated my desire to contest the ticket. As the vehicle is registered under the name of another individual, I was told that I am not allowed to contest the ticket. According to the woman behind the counter and the officer she sent out to speak with me, my three options were: Ask my father to take time away from work to contest a parking ticket that is not his responsibility and that he would not be able to make an argument for because it stems from a situation he knows nothing about, let them coerce my dad into paying them with threats of stealing the vehicle, or pay the ticket.
“There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Today, May 1, 2012 at 9:30am I signed a plea deal. Attached below are scanned copies of the terms. The long and short of it is that I will be going to jail for 60-115 days, starting May 7th at 4:20pm. Even though it will be a tough experience, I feel a sense of relief because I have certainty whereas I had none before.
I was facing 4 trials, with charges collectively totaling about 9 years in jail. Even if I were found not guilty by a jury in each case, I would still serve about 80 days jail time in fines. This is essentially a time-saver. It’s like a bully is forcing me to choose between the unattractive options of being kicked in the shins today or being knocked out sometime in the next year. By signing the plea deal, I’m mitigating my potential exposure to further harm.
Hindsight is 20/20, and while I’ve taken note of my mistakes, I don’t regret my actions because they were always totally peaceful. No one is alleging that I have harmed anybody or damaged any property. The past year in Keene has been an invaluable learning experience, and I’d prefer to take a hit for living free than to allow paralyzing fear to cause inaction.
Regarding the Court not returning Jason’s camera, please check out NH House Bill 0225. This bill (that just passed a House vote and moved to the NH Senate) would force the Court to give Jason his camera back.
It is his personal property and he isn’t facing any charges right now. Isn’t that only fair?
Please contact your NH Senator and ask them to support this bill!
I would again like to repeat my sincere appreciation for the professionalism of Assistant Cheshire County Attorney John Webb, Associate NH Attorney General Richard Head, and Superior Court Judges Kathleen McGuire and James Barry. I also extend my thanks to all of you who followed the case from start to finish. A special thank you to those of you who caught my spelling/grammatical/legal errors and took the time to contact me to let me know. 🙂
Congrats to David Blizzard who is now MARV’s new owner!
Overall 396 raffle tickets were sold – about 3/4 of sales coming from PorcFest attendees. David had snagged his three tickets – including the one randomly selected by Ademo Freeman the last night of PorcFest – online.
I just spoke with David on the phone – he plans to keep MARV looking as-is (a rolling billboard for liberty) and use it for vacationing, etc.
David calls northern GA home so if you’re in the area keep your eyes peeled!
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Choice is good! You have lots of ways to acquire MARV raffle tickets!
