Originally published at: 12 years in prison for Florida cop who planted drugs on motorists | Boing Boing
…
5 Likes
I wish all corrupt cops were this stupid and obvious
30 Likes
Still a long way to go to ending the corruption of cops and turning them into what their supporters claim they really are (but never have been). Good to see justice being served for a change.
18 Likes
Why am I salivating? Is that sweet justice I can smell?
4 Likes
10 Likes
Yes, but that doesn’t usually seem to matter too much though.
6 Likes
I wouldn’t tag this story with “Mistakes”.
There were no mistakes here; this was a piece of shit deliberately ruining peoples lives to further his own failure of a career.
The cops who said “we didn’t see him plant drugs?” Their bullshit code of silence isn’t a mistake; their Mutual Aid & Abet Society is technically an organized crime ring.
His victims didn’t make mistakes, they were just living their lives, and had the sheer bad luck to interact with this asshole who preyed upon them.
No mistakes about it.
22 Likes
This gives every person that was busted for possession by this asshole grounds to appeal their conviction and probably gives those arrested but never convicted grounds to have the arrest expunged.
9 Likes
…and have their voting rights restored. (This not an automatic given in Florida.)
8 Likes
Man, this officer COULD have been the coolest officer ever if he just gave them free drugs and sent them on their way.
6 Likes
Prosecutor Tom Williams asked that Wester be sentenced to 15 years in prison, nearly 10 years more than the statutorily calculated sentence, based on the charges and mitigating factors.
Man, you know you’re screwed when mitigating factors increase your recommended sentence.
10 Likes
“We need more men like him to bring healthy change to our community,” friend Michael Montague said. “Zach is an asset to everyone’s life, not a liability. He deposited hope in their lives, inspiration, motivation and encouragement.”
What a delusional nitwit. How can you possibly stand by someone who did this? Fine, argue for a lenient sentence for your friend but wow, you are establishing yourself as completely clueless with this kind of talk.
Not to mention the irony of him “depositing” anything other than drug baggies into anyone’s life.
9 Likes
Never have I ever been aware of a profession with a bigger martyr complex that hires the most roundly idiotic, garbage people imaginable, and unapologetically DEMANDS that we labor under the misconception that even Barney Fife is “putting his life on the line every day.”
7 Likes
“Arrested but not convicted” hasn’t been something that can be held against the defendant for quite a while, since it’s legally indistinguishable from “exonerated.”
Either it went to trial (or plea) or not. If it went to trial, the defendant was either convicted or not.
“Not convicted” is the only possible alternative to “convicted” if it went to trial, and if it didn’t go to trial (or guilty plea) there’s no difference between “clearly innocent” and “not worth prosecuting.”
Net: if you’re arrested, the only alternative to “convicted (or guilty plea)” is indistinguishable from innocence.
The problem for people falsely charged by this waste of oxygen is that the deck is stacked against them. Their attorneys will (with good reason) advise them to accept the usual reduced sentence in return for a guilty plea.
On top of that, I have no evidence but would absolutely bet that most of his victims were POC, probably Black, and not driving expensive cars.
1 Like
Yeah, he didn’t deposit hope in peoples lives. He literally deposited drugs and then arrested them for it.
6 Likes
Legally? Perhaps, but having an arrest on your record is still held against you in various circumstances, including employment applications in some states, and will show up when cops run your name.
4 Likes
I’d check that. That exact thing (employment applications) was the subject of a SCOTUS ruling quite a while ago. Innocent until proven and all that.
1 Like
I did check it before posting. I can’t guarantee that this link is dispositive, but I did do some diligence before commenting:
And, according to guidance from the EEOC, an employer that adopts a blanket policy of excluding all applicants with a criminal record could screen out disproportionate numbers of African Americans and Latinos, which could in turn constitute illegal discrimination. (To learn more about these federal protections, see Getting Hired With an Arrest or Conviction Record.)
However, more specific limits on the use of criminal records in employment come from state laws. Some states prohibit employers from asking about arrests that did not lead to convictions, unless the charges are still pending…
5 Likes
Once he’s out he should then get the sentence that his victims would have or did serve for the “drug possession” - for each time he planted the drugs
5 Likes
