Brickbat: Evidence Is Overrated

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Nathaniel Stephens of Grayson, Kentucky, became the subject of a DUI investigation after a teenager backed into his car in his neighborhood. Officer Michael Bell accused him of being impaired, but Stephens recorded 0.00 on a breathalyzer and passed every field sobriety test. But Bell told him that if he hadn’t done all the tests, “I had enough to arrest you and place you under arrest for DUI.” Stephens replied that he would have sued, to which Bell replied that qualified immunity would have protected him. Bell then took off his body camera and covered his microphone while he spoke to a supervisor, after which he arrested Stephens for DUI and took him to jail, where he was held overnight. Bell also wrote in his report that Stephens had failed his sobriety tests. Prosecutors dismissed the charges seven months later, after reviewing the body cam footage and breathalyzer results. Bell resigned and joined a nearby police department, but he was fired after the DUI story went viral. Stephens’ attorney says he plans to sue the department.

The post Brickbat: Evidence Is Overrated appeared first on Reason Magazine.

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