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Charles L. Cotton wrote: I've tried to stay out of this discussion, but it's killing me! A LEO must have reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed, not that someone doesn't like what another is doing. Carrying a rifle is not unlawful, except in certain prohibited areas.

Pretext stops are lawful, but it should not be so. They are nothing but a method of violating the constitution. LEOs argue that it empowers them to prevent certain crimes and while possibly true, it comes at far too high of a price.

Chas.

I've been hoping you would chime in…….

Being the general curmudgeon I am, I think Grisham could have handled things better. That does NOT mean I approve of the TPD handling of the contact, the arrest, or the prosecution.

I have had non-firearms-related contacts with the TPD and I have always found them to be overbearing if not treated with what they consider to be due deference. I'm pretty sure the last one was with the same office as Grisham. I was questioned about taking photos of the police station (located across the street from the railroad museum) which made a really bad backdrop to some nice ironwork and garden gazebo at the museum.

SA-TX wrote:I do have sympathy for the prosecutor's office in that there was no easy path for them once Grisham made it clear there would be no plea: proceed with a questionable case with a potentially sympathetic defendant or don't back up your PD (whose officers you'll be working with again) and expose them immediately to a civil suit. That said, the DA/CA is elected and has to make tough calls. Since his office only convinced 1 juror of 5, he'll now have another.

SA-TX

I was really surprised they didn't drop this at the last minute like the Metroplex Hospital case. I'm even more surprised they are bothering to retry the case after a 5/1 acquittal vote. I think I may start avoiding Bell County.

Retrial scheduled for Nov. 18th according to the Temple Daily Telegram.