Earlier, I had posted on the arrest of Phillip Turner for standing up for his rights while he was photographing the Galveston Police Department building.

Phillip was arrested for Failure to Identify, when under Texas law he was not required to identify until he was already under arrest. A subject who is being detained, with or without reasonable  suspicion is under no obligation or duty to identify himself to police.

Sgt Archie Chapman

This week, Galveston PD Sergeant Archie Chapman was indicted by the Galveston County Grand Jury for Criminal Trespass. The past year has at least been interesting for Chapman, he was recently found not to have used excessive force against a fleeing suspect after he drove his squad car across a front yard and into the suspect. A federal jury apparently did not believe that this was excessive force.

Anyway, back to the indictment.

According to Chapman’s attorney, Greg Cagle, Chapman’s only motivation was the safety of his fellow officers.

I’m sorry, but that is so much bullshit. Chapman had no legal authority to enter Turner’s car. He committed a crime when he did so.

And both the Galveston County District Attorney and the Grand Jury agreed.

If convicted, Chapman’s peace officer license will likely be revoked. He is currently limited to administrative duties.

H/T: John Smith

PS: As you can probably tell, I’m not doing much blogging. This lawyer stuff takes up a lot of my time, and to be honest, earning a living takes priority. I apologize for not posting more often.