Trio says traffic stop was ‘out-of-control’

Admit being defiant, but force unnecessary

By Charlotte A. Graham, countyreporter@laurelleadercall.com

Jason Talley and his two traveling companions had no plans of making a stop in Jones County when they were arrested by Jones County Sheriff deputies on May 14.

Now Talley and his friends are going to make a planned trip to the area. This time, Talley and other crew members of motorhomediaries.com, are coming to the area to film a documentary. No date has been set for the week-long visit.

“We have been traveling now for six weeks,” Talley said in a phone interview. “We have 60 videos on YouTube that documents our experiences.

“It’s ironic to have these type of problems (like those encountered in Jones County) in our search for freedom in America,” added Talley. “We want to come back and talk to people who may have complaints with the police department and to do some charity work in the area.”

Talley, Peter Eyre and Adam Mueller were arrested on I-59 while heading to Meridian for a breakfast meeting with Libertarian Party of Mississippi Chairman Danny Bedwell.

“I had been following their journey,” said Bedwell, who resides in Columbus. “They left Washington six weeks ago, went to Louisiana and stopped in New Orleans for the night. We made contact and they told me they were on their way to Nashville to pick up a friend who would travel with them.

“I asked them to meet me in Meridian because I wanted to make a donation to their cause,” continued Bedwell. “They never did show up.”

The three travel across the country in a recreational vehicle, making stops along the way to interview individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds who share their passion for liberty and justice in America.

“I believe we were arrested in Jones County because we were filming what was happening to us,” said Talley.

However, Jones County Sheriff Alex Hodge said during the traffic stop, deputies gave the three “numerous opportunities to identify themselves but they refused.”

According to Talley, who was awakened from his sleep by all of the commotion, Eyre, who was driving the vehicle, complied and provided the information requested by the officers.

“Pete showed his driver’s license and registration,” Talley said. “Adam didn’t have a chance to get any information because he was doing the filming and they arrested him.”

Talley admits to being defiant, mainly because he “was just a passenger.” He said when the deputy asked him to step from the vehicle, he didn’t have any information because he had been sleeping.

Talley also stated that officers stopped their vehicle because it had a “paper tag on it.” But when they checked everything out and found everything was legitimate, instead of letting them go on their way, they continued to press Talley for some type of identification. Once again he refused.

Then came an event Talley will never forget. “The officer placed a choke hold on me and I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “What you basically had was an out-of-control sheriff’s department.”

When all was said and done, Talley, 34, was arrested for disorderly conduct and disobeying a police officer, Eyre, 28, was arrested for possession of beer in a dry county and an unknown offense and Mueller, 26, was arrested for disorderly conduct and disobeying a police officer.

“They wanted to find some reason to justify their actions,” said Talley. “They had no grounds to arrest us.”

He added that a deputy found a sealed can of beer in the refrigerator of the vehicle as they did a search. They decided to charge Eyre for possession and Eyre doesn’t even drink, he said.

“I guess the message to anyone whose driving through Jones County is to stop and throw out all of the beer or liquor you may have in your vehicle, even if its unopened,” said Talley. “You’re driving through a dry county.”

Talley added the trio made bail from donations that were sent in from around the country. They were also able to get their vehicle out of pound. Unfortunately, however, he said that when they checked their video camera, that was left in the vehicle, the footage had been deleted.

“We believe someone from the Sheriff’s Department is responsible,” he said. “That was a major injustice.”

Hodge has said that he is “proud of our Deputies handling of this traffic stop. I have demonstrated my willingness to admit when we are wrong. However, in this case they handled themselves in a proper and professional manner.”

Talley said the trio is weighing its options. A number of lawyers have contacted them and he is not ruling out the possibility of a lawsuit. In the meantime, he hopes Jones County residents or others who may have complaints against the Jones County Sheriff’s Department will contact him. They can visit www.motorhomediaries.com and click on the e-mail link to contact the crew.

“We would love to hear from people who have stories they want to share,” said Talley. “We know there are some good people in Jones County, but I’m afraid this story got out and showed the bad side.

“We also know that there may be others who have experiences similar to ours,” he added. “Things won’t change if people are afraid to take a stand against injustice.”

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