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Michigan Father Killed in Marijuana Child Removal Incident

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #727)

A prosecutor in northern Michigan has cleared the police officer who shot and killed a Grayling man as police and Child Protective Services (CPS) employees attempted to seize his three-year-old. The attempted removal of the minor child came after a police officer who came to the scene on a call earlier that same day reported that he smelled marijuana and reported the incident to CPS authorities, who decided the child needed to be removed. The dead man, William Reddie, 32, becomes the 17th person killed in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.

William
[Editor's Note: This case illustrates the difficulties that arise in determining which deaths qualify as being a direct result of drug law enforcement. Police here were enforcing child protections laws, not drug laws, but the only reason CPS was called in was because of the allegation of marijuana use. There was no allegation of crazed behavior due to marijuana use; only the allegation of use. For Michigan CPS authorities, that was enough to remove the child. Bottom line: This guy died because the state tried to take his kid because he was accused of smoking pot, so he merits inclusion. That doesn't mean his own actions didn't contribute to his death.]

Reddie's killing took place on February 3, but we only became aware of it when news broke this week that prosecutors had decided that the police officer's use of deadly force in the incident was justified.

According to the Crawford County Avalanche, Grayling police Officer Alan Somero was called to Reddie's apartment for an alleged domestic disturbance. Somero made no arrests, but believed he smelled marijuana and reported it to CPS. Two CPS employees went to Reddie's apartment to check on the situation. They then got a court order to remove Reddie's 3-year-old son, Cameron, and asked police to escort them to the apartment to serve the court order.

The Gaylord Herald-Times, which obtained the CPS removal order, added more detail. It reported that Reddie had been accused of smoking marijuana in front of his son, and that Reddie had become "agitated" and threatened police when confronted by that accusation earlier in the day.

The court order gave the following reason for removing the child: "There are reasonable grounds for this court to remove the child(ren) from the parent... because conditions or surroundings of the child(ren), and is contrary to the welfare of the child(ren) to remain in the home because: It is alleged that the father used marijuana in the home in the presence of the child. In addition, there is concern for the safety of the child due to a domestic disturbance and threats made toward law enforcement by the father."

Returning to the Avalanche's narrative, when police and CPS workers arrived to seize the child, Reddie then reportedly displayed a pocketknife and lunged at them. Crawford County Deputy John Klepadlo shot and killed him. Police had been deploying Tasers, but holstered them and grabbed their guns when Reddie displayed the knife.

Crawford County Sheriff Kirk Wakefield then asked the Michigan State Police to investigate his deputy's use of deadly force. The Michigan Attorney General's Office referred the case to the neighboring Roscommon County Prosecutor's Office. After receiving a report from the State Police, Roscommon County DA Mark Jernigan determined that the use of deadly force was justified and that Klepadlo would not be charged with any crime.

"The deceased was in possession of an edged weapon," Jernigan said. "The deceased pulled a knife and hid it behind his back. At the point where he pulls his hand forward and lunges at the officer, he is in such close proximity, and presents a clear danger of deadly force, the officer is left with no option other than to use deadly force to protect himself, the other officer and the three civilians that were present. The use of deadly force is completely justified and therefore, the homicide was justified."

Toxicology reports, which were included in the final investigation, showed there was no marijuana or alcohol in Reddie's system when he was killed.

Reddie had been seeking permanent custody of his son and was due in court for a hearing on that matter three days after he was killed.

"They took the only thing he ever loved," Reddie's mother, Michelle VanBuren, told the Avalanche after the prosecutor's announcement.

VanBuren said she was baffled by the conduct of authorities, especially since no evidence or alcohol or marijuana use was found. She said she had been in contact with her son throughout that day.

"I was on the phone with my son all day, and that cop was bullying him and harassing him so badly," she said. "Where was protect and serve?" VanBuren asked. "The officers always have to stick together and for them to do this is just totally uncalled for."

VanBuren said the family would continue to fight to ensure that CPS and law enforcement are held accountable for their actions. "They need to be held accountable and they will be held accountable, believe you me," she said.

Reddie's family is not alone in questioning police and CPS actions. "I can't believe they (police) could not subdue Will without killing him, and over what, marijuana," said Joanne Michal, who knew Reddie for half of his life. "Why didn't police just arrest him or cite him for marijuana instead of removing his child?" she told the Herald-Times.

"It is particularly sad that Will was shot to death right in front of his son," Michal continued. "Why not use a Taser? Even if he (Will) had a knife and lunged at police, they didn't have to kill him. Instead of using a Taser, you shoot him in front of his child. It is just totally unjustified. They didn't have to kill him. I think it's very sad that his life was taken during the removal of his son. And the smell of marijuana shouldn't have been a reason for an emergency order. Just a few days before he was killed, Will was visiting, and he was so excited because a hearing was coming up for custody. And it seemed to give him hope of getting permanent custody. His son was everything to him."

Crawford County Clerk Sandra Moore said she also knew Reddie. "It's truly a shame," Moore said. "He was a good guy and very fond of his son. He had been very excited just days before" about gaining permanent custody.

Cameron Reddie is now in foster care. His father's family is seeking visitation rights.

Meanwhile, Deputy Klepadlo, who had been on administrative leave after the shooting, is back on the job.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

kickback (not verified)

Yea , cops have Taser`s for a reason . The actions of the police to help an " endangered " child really worked out well for the child huh ? Seeing his daddy harassed and then shot by the police . Officer Alan Somero must feel pretty good about himself . Protecting the community is his specialty . Sounds like a clear cut case of murder to me .

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 8:10pm Permalink
OUTRAGED MAN (not verified)

In reply to by TrebleBass (not verified)

that  cop murdered will reddie i have known him basically all my life, and he would not try to lunge at no cop with a knife!!!! The cop is a murderer and go figure another police department did the investigation!!!! WHERE ISTHE JUSTICE???

Tue, 04/10/2012 - 10:51pm Permalink
Get rid of CPS (not verified)

In reply to by OUTRAGED MAN (not verified)

Sadly the ones who backed this cop up were the ones with CPS.  The bigger criminals are these idiot WOMEN within CPS.  What right do they have over OUR children?  They'll take your child away if you take an indecent photo since gone are the days when you can capture that" first time giving baby a bath in the bathtub" image.  They'll take your children if they are too heavy, too happy, too white, too black, too smart, too medicated.  

My neighbor worked for CPS, she was a chain smoking, racist alcoholic who would dump her children on anyone and was on her third husband with a boyfriend on the side.  Seems to be the qualifications one must have in order to work for the government who serve and protect their own needs.

Wed, 05/23/2012 - 3:59pm Permalink
Anonymous I am (not verified)

In reply to by Get rid of CPS (not verified)

I greatly disagree that cps itself is bad. They are there's to help children much like myself who's mother tried running me over with a car because I was five min late for school. They usually save children though in this case it sounds like some one had it out for this man and set him up. Even of he did have weed (I am a life long non smoker of the stuff) it is not grounds for the removal of the child and if I was that father I would have done everything in my power to protect my child from an an lawful removal.
Thu, 05/24/2012 - 4:27pm Permalink
Karen Medcoff (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous I am (not verified)

CPS's main duty now it to take children from ANY home they can to SELL to adoptive parents waiting in the wings for babies. they have orders to fill, and although I know that sounds dramatic, sadly it is the truth. CPS gets funding from the govt for every child they place OUT OF FAMILY> it is a LARGE stipend from social security called Title IE-5. To continue to receive these funds they MUST take MORE children EVERY YEAR, or face losing the funding. Which means, children are removed from good homes because the parents are unable to pay for a good lawyer to help them> They get stuck with CPS "trackers" Curt appointed atty's who do NOTHING to help the parents, but EVERYTHING to help remove the child from the parents. i know, i was a victim of CPS, both as a child, and as an adult. MY own sons were stolen from me and sold to others. my oldest found me on facebook, and RAN back to me so fast it made his adoptive parent's heads swim. 

Wed, 05/01/2013 - 11:03am Permalink
WHYamEYEnotSUPRISED (not verified)

In reply to by Karen Medcoff (not verified)

Just to keep this on top... This is an effort to separate the family unit from the mainstream or"norm".

Those that seek to form a "one world order" would love nothing more than destroying the family unit and replacing it with the statist/lobbyist position.

I stand that those that seek to control the actions of the people, be under the watchful eye of those governed.

When abuses are evident, the abuser removed from the proceedings...

Mon, 05/27/2013 - 5:20am Permalink
Maxx (not verified)

In reply to by Get rid of CPS (not verified)

Prosecutors and CPS have no real delegation of authority, and esp. constitutionally. The scumbag DA took it upon himself, ON HEARSAY,  to execute a warrant to kidnap a man's child, over a rumor. They should be all held on conspiracy of murder.

Thu, 05/24/2012 - 10:54pm Permalink
cynthia haynes (not verified)

In reply to by Maxx (not verified)

The majority of children in foster care do NOT even need to be there. I have researched this for years..Most counties, especially the large ones, such as Wayne County, Macomb County, Oakland County, etc, try to keep a certain amount (a certain "quota") of children in foster care for monies for the counties and state. A child must be in foster care for 6 months for them to receive grant money for a child. (Now, unless things have changed in the past years, that's how it worked).

I once had my hands on the listings of each county in Michigan as to how many children were in foster care each year for the past 10 years. Too coincidental that those large counties had the same exact amount, like 180,000 every single year? The smaller, less heard about counties would have maybe 18 one year 2 the next, maybe 10 the next and so on. You tell me: How could a county have the same, large amount each and every year for a 10-year period?

And, they will outright lie to the parents, like of a runaway young teen and say, "Hey, sign these papers and we'll teach her a lesson and she'll never run away, again....she'll only be in foster care for two months....." Well, do not believe them. The child will be in there for that 6-month period, so they can get that grant money from the government.

I was so much into this research years back, that the government sent me a box of books (unexpectedly and for free!) that told CPS workers how to tell if a child is being abused.....I think the most insane thing I came across in the teaching in one of the books was where it said: " If the parents look nervous and don't want to look at you, they are guilty of abusing the child."

So maybe Crawford County needed to add to their "quota.?"

Wed, 02/20/2013 - 8:55pm Permalink
Mary (not verified)

In reply to by cynthia haynes (not verified)

Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse? The state should get money recouped to them for taking care of the kids that POS parents abuse and neglect. If the POS parents would love and care for their children, and not molest, abuse, and neglect them, then they wouldn't run away, and they wouldn't be placed in foster care. It appears that you are one of those POS parents.

Thu, 07/04/2013 - 9:56am Permalink
Kriegar (not verified)

In reply to by Mary (not verified)

Interesting, the tone that your response takes. Sounds like you might work for CPS?

 

It isn't the POS parents that are the problem with CPS. In fact, they generate action in several different agencies, justifying their funding. They also are more likely to get their kids back, as they are part of a revolving door system. This is a business model that is quite successful for an agency that needs to justify its' funding.

The problem, in fact, is when the system takes people who are NOT POS parents, and grinds them into the ground, OBVIOUSLY. And those persons, because they are not bending over backward to kiss CPS ass, are most likely to get eaten alive. CPS has a legitimate purpose, and their are many WONDERFUL foster homes out there-but it does us NO GOOD to cover our eyes and pretend that the problem ones, and the problem CPS branches, do not exist.

You should truly be ashamed of yourself for accusing someone the way you did here.

Wed, 08/07/2013 - 12:57am Permalink
Mary (not verified)

In reply to by Kriegar (not verified)

I have read all of the comments by this blogger accusing police of sexual harassment, harassment, and abuse. By name. Accusing CPS. They did this. They did that. Not taking any responsibility for themselves. Not taking any responsibility for their son in jail. I do not work for CPS. I ran away because I was sexually, emotionally, and physically abused by POS parents. Is the CPS messed up? Yes, all government systems are messed up. Is CPS needed? YES! Who pays for the kids that go into foster care? My POS parents never paid. The state did. The taxpayers did.

This blogger is using the death of a man to further their own agenda-To bash certain cops. That is sick! They do not care that a man was killed while his son watched. Read their comments. They DO NOT CARE! Read it! They are all about themselves! They talk about being harassed as a disabled senior by cops. That is a poor-me statement. To further their own agenda to bash certain cops. There is no logic to anything that they have said. IT IS ALL TO FURTHER THEIR OWN AGENDA. It is all crazy talk and accusations. 

In this case, the police made a report to CPS because of a domestic situation and threats to police. Suspected pot use was also listed, but the main concern was violence and the child's safety. The police show up and what does the man do? He pulls a knife. In front of his son. Yes, it is terrible that the chain of events occurred and they were coming to take his son. All involved could have handled things differently. But my comment is for the blogger who is only concerned about their own agenda.

It is obvious that you are biased against CPS and the way they do their business. Yes, it is a business. All government agencies are businesses. It does not change the fact that CPS saves kids. Kids are not property for sexual gratification, punching bags, or other abuse. If CPS gets involved, I expect them to take it seriously. The best way to avoid them is to never do anything to warrant them coming to your door. Innocent people get reported, but there is only one way to know if they are innocent, right? Should the CPS business be changed? Yes. Should the way the police operate be changed? Yes. A blogger furthering their own agenda and bashing certain cops and CPS does not make change but shows they are a POS parent. No shame in the truth.

Fri, 08/09/2013 - 1:43pm Permalink
ExposeDCF (not verified)

In reply to by Mary (not verified)

You are delusional. There was a call about marijuana use, likely by the mothers side who father was battling for custody. Officer came and accused him, he got irate. He was talking to his mother, yelling about the accusations the officer was making. No domestic. They took his child because he was agitated for being wrongly accused. Further, CPS agencies lie. I stood up to them and every last one of them lied, and it was never about protecting my daughter. They were the ones hurting her emotionally. Telling her, it would be easier if I just cooperated. I demanded they prove their allegations. They couldn't. DCF supervisor filed a false report against me and approved it herself. Filed, investigated, supported and approved in 20 minutes. Further, children are more likely to be abused, neglected, and die in foster care. The agency does more harm than good.
Sat, 06/07/2014 - 9:59am Permalink
nancy konsky (not verified)

In reply to by Mary (not verified)

whatever happened to hearsay? just because someone calls and reports smelling marijuana  is not enough of a reason to go to his home in the first place. Maybe he had a card to legally possess marijuana. This is a crime commited by the police and that officer should be in jail for murder. Come on...a pocket knife?? They couldn't tackle him? They took his life over a healing herb that big pharma wants to keep illegal so they can push thier drugs. MURDER...plain and simple. I am outraged ,and looking nervous when CPS comes to your home would be a natural reaction I would think. so many stupid people. Marijuana has been decriminalized since 1964 in ann arbor mich which has been on the top ten best places to live for years. Educate yourselves you dumb asses who think marijuana is a threat to anyone. Children who have seisures are cured from cannabis oil as well as skin cancer and many other medical issues. Educate yourselves you dumbasses.

Sun, 07/19/2015 - 9:53pm Permalink
Me82416 (not verified)

In reply to by Maxx (not verified)

There were absolutely NO DRUGS found in his system in the autopsy report, they were kidnapping an innocent man's child. The same cop aimed a gun at my scared children who were crying with their hands in the air, rubbery now fear police officers. This cop should be removed from things force! I know this is old, but people need to know the truth!!
Thu, 09/28/2017 - 11:38pm Permalink
Donna M (not verified)

In reply to by Get rid of CPS (not verified)

CPS has men too. Not all of the cow workers at idiots. It just seems he got stuck with a couple of them along with trigger happy cops. You know a good officer would have been able to mediate this without a weapon. There are also good cops out there as well.

Tue, 03/01/2022 - 2:58pm Permalink
mark t (not verified)

In reply to by OUTRAGED MAN (not verified)

i dont know this man who was murdered by the police...but id like to know; considering all the firearms training these cops have, couldnt they just shoot him in the leg or shoulder? it smacks of cowardice to me... and now that 3 year old may end up having a far worse future thanks to this cop. i hope a law suit is filed against all government officials who were a part of this criminal act!

Thu, 05/09/2013 - 8:10pm Permalink
Kriegar (not verified)

In reply to by mark t (not verified)

"Shooting to injure or disable" likely presents more problems that it solves for police, such as liability and injury lawsuits-and the biggest factor of all? Dead men tell no tales. Makes wrapping up the post shooting investigation MUCH easier.

Wed, 08/07/2013 - 1:00am Permalink
RealityCheck (not verified)

In reply to by Kriegar (not verified)

Law enforcement and military personnel who use weapons are trained to shoot at center mass --- the chest and abdomen area.  This is the easiest area to hit and take a person down plain and simple.

If you are in close range of an individual who is lunging at you with a weapon (going by this story) are you going to try to aim for a small spot on an individual like a leg, arm, shoulder, or head?

Tue, 01/06/2015 - 11:54pm Permalink
Eulalie Whitehorn (not verified)

In reply to by kickback (not verified)

How can They Justify How Cruel!!

That Disgusting POWER TRIPPING Officer Murdered that Father!!

This Poor Child will be Traumatized for Life...  and the Assaulting Lies Made by an Officer To DFS

Are Just another Example of Our Police State & Loss of Rights !!

To The Other "Powers That Be That Backed Him Up"

You ALL Deserve to Be Charged With Murder!!

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 7:45pm Permalink

what pathetic officers to not be able to subdue this man any other way..it says above in the news article that the officer felt that he had to protect himself and the others ( incl. other police officers! ) by shooting a man wielding a POCKET KNIFE?? OMG!

 

Those officers should all be FIRED!! THEY aided in murdering a man in front of his child, now the poor child is in FOSTER care? this only gets worse!! I am sooo mad!! I am starting to hate police, period., and that poor child will also grow up hating police officers, who knows? when he grows up to be a MAN..and those police officers are old men .. maybe he will get his revenge. THIS is what this police system breeds  -   only hate.

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:18am Permalink
WHYamEYEnotSUPRISED (not verified)

In reply to by Delia (not verified)

NO, the police did not "aid" in the murder of this man in front of his child, THEY MURDERED HIM IN COLD BLOOD!!!

And the courts gave them a free pass.

Interestingly, the only mention of reason for their presence AT ALL stems from a "domestic disturbance" complaint, NOTHING as to what the disturbance was. Maybe the child's mother that he was in court to gain custody?

Nanny state encourages snitches, even if the snitch is a lie, as long as there is record of accusation... guilty as accused! CPS is a sham in todays world. They miss (ignore) real cases of neglect and abuse, instead attack those who cannot afford to defend themselves, steal their children to get fed $ and then sell the child and call it "adoption" to make it sound more palatable.

Fri, 05/17/2013 - 6:49am Permalink
robertsgt40 (not verified)

In reply to by kickback (not verified)

There's something wrong with this picture.  A cop said he smelled pot earlier in the day.  And then they admit there was no pot or pot in his system?  It takes weeks for THC to leave the system.  This was a setup and should be considered murder

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 3:54pm Permalink
Bren (not verified)

In reply to by robertsgt40 (not verified)

You are exactly right about the THC component.... which will show up for a full 30+ days. I was a Paramedic for many years.... and we were randomly "tested" frequently. Although I was never a pot smoker.... I could not even be in the same room where another WAS smoking--because even being AROUND others smoking--would have given my test a Positive result !!
So, if this guy's test was "clean"... he had not even been in the presence of it in at least 30 days.

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 7:22pm Permalink
Annnonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Bren (not verified)

Oh really?  that's funny, because I passed a drug test after 4 days since the last time I smoked.  I'm not a pothead, I just smoked occasionally. The only thing I did was drink a lot of water, green tea and rooibos tea and took some Niacin for those few days beforehand.

Sat, 03/31/2012 - 8:01pm Permalink
Anonymous 1 (not verified)

In reply to by Annnonymous (not verified)

Yes 30 days is average unless you use tricks to fool the system like taking Niacin.  Also smoking occasionally is different than smoking regularly because THC builds up in your system at a higher level if you use regularly. Still if they tested him after his death and there was no sign of pot in his system, it's likely he was not using. Also did the cops find marijuana a the scene. I don't see where they mentioned that they found a stash of pot or a grow.  This war on Pot needs to stop. Go after some tweekers please! Lord knows there are plenty of them.

Tue, 04/03/2012 - 12:31pm Permalink
Bolony !! (not verified)

In reply to by Bren (not verified)

LMAO, your sadly mistaken, as i take 2 urine tests a yr and i smoke daily, i can quit 2 weeks in advance " only a puff in between and pass.  i test myself before i chance my urine test, which is under CDL limits.

Wed, 05/01/2013 - 12:27am Permalink
Bren (not verified)

In reply to by robertsgt40 (not verified)

You are exactly right about the THC component.... which will show up for a full 30+ days. I was a Paramedic for many years.... and we were randomly "tested" frequently. Although I was never a pot smoker.... I could not even be in the same room where another WAS smoking--because even being AROUND others smoking--would have given my test a Positive result !!
So, if this guy's test was "clean"... he had not even been in the presence of it in at least 30 days.

Sat, 03/31/2012 - 4:59pm Permalink
ccu4u2001mi (not verified)

In reply to by robertsgt40 (not verified)

Of the whale size order of "FISHY", judging by the facts revealed in this article. How could he have smelled the smoking of marijuana when there were no positive test results?? Common sense dictates they smelled nothing, and must have simply fabricated the evidence to justify their actions. Come on people, wake up to the cold hard facts. Based on an officers testimony, which has absolutely no evidence to back up that testimony, a man lies dead and a son fatherless, for what? They came in to the residence armed with tazer, sufficient to disable this man. And it was 2 officers facing one man, correct? At what point did they decide the tazer wasn't enough force, and switched their weapons? The whole story makes very little sense,. Starting to feel like this isn't

Mon, 04/09/2012 - 8:07pm Permalink
cynthia haynes (not verified)

In reply to by ccu4u2001mi (not verified)

He should have been charged and trialed just as any one of us citizens are. You know where he would have ended up, don't you? And the cops here always bring one or two extra cops, so they can use them asTHEIR evidence. And, for a "just-in-case" they will always throw a "Resisting and Obstruction" on the person when they KNOW they have done wrong while arresting a citizen.  Seen it and heard about it time and time again. Something really needs to be done about Bad Cops period.

Wed, 02/20/2013 - 9:53pm Permalink
Get Real (not verified)

In reply to by cynthia haynes (not verified)

You are absolutely right a cop should be treated no different in a self defense situation than a regular citizen which is exactly what happened here!!!!! It's a funny thing but just because you shoot someone in self defense, doesn't mean as a private citizen you have to go to trial or are arrested Cynthia. You really should learn how to do some research before you make opinionated posts on topics you know nothing about. As a matter of fact unless something is hinky on a scene in Detroit if it's a clear case of self defense the citizen who defended themselves is merely brought in for questioning and that's it. The prosecuting attorney decides whether or not there is a criminal case to take to court with any self defense situation. So cop or private citizen may or may not be charged and sent to trial for self defense based on the evidence. How about you get off your high horse and let it go this was all taken care of a year ago lady! Plus again back to the why should anyone in Crawford County listen to someone who's well known for being unreliable according to multiple other residents in Grayling?

Wed, 02/27/2013 - 4:09am Permalink
Get Real (not verified)

In reply to by Gersh Avery (not verified)

Yeah you left out a few key points like, was he armed? Was he in the house? Intent when you pulled the trigger? etc, etc, etc. Can't compare apples to apples if you dont prove what you're using as an example is an apple first.

Fri, 04/12/2013 - 7:52pm Permalink
Kriegar (not verified)

In reply to by Get Real (not verified)

In Florida, the "facts" you mention mean NOTHING. So, the only pertinent FACTS here are that someone broke into his home, and he was locked up for defending it. That's BS in the "Land of the Free", my friend.

Wed, 08/07/2013 - 1:21am Permalink
KC (not verified)

In reply to by robertsgt40 (not verified)

You are correct.  No pot in his system but the cop smelled pot?  Do you know how many different things can smell similar to pot?  How would the cop know exactly what pot smells like??  LOL  

2 or 3 Police officers and he had this lil ol pocket knife (if thats even true) and they had to shoot him?  Uh huh.  They had TASERS but they HAD to shoot him?  Okay, where is the training?  They are undereducated, UNDERtrained, obviously and feel that badge means they are above the law.  This whole thing is a disgrace to anyone calling themselves a police officer.  SINCE WHEN is pot use a danger to ANY child?  Since when is a childs life in imminent danger because someone in the house smokes pot??  I know effin METH addicts who have no food in the house and shoot up in front of their kids and this damned state wont do a thing about it!  This man gets killed because they THINK he MIGHT have been smoking pot?  Now they know he wasnt and the man was protecting his FAMILY and all that happens is a "Oops!  MY BAD!" from the cop??  There IS fault in that!  The whole damned thing would never have happened if the cop had used his damned brain and not his EGO!  I'd surely call for another investigation by a non police entity!

Wed, 05/23/2012 - 12:28pm Permalink
Anonymous123 (not verified)

In reply to by robertsgt40 (not verified)

Yes -- I do not believe a word from any of them. They (government employees) have a different set of "truths" from real people.

Tue, 08/06/2013 - 3:32pm Permalink
Curt W Larson (not verified)

In reply to by kickback (not verified)

I totally agree. It's pretty obvious that this cop does not have the protection of the people in mind while doing his job and needs to find another line of work.  This killing is justified, obviously you can't charge at the police with a knife and expect not to get shot BUT if this cop was properly trained and not bullying and not instigating it is also very obvious that it would have never come to this.

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 8:09pm Permalink
RocketeerJoe (not verified)

In reply to by Curt W Larson (not verified)

Yeah you should totally believe that cop. I mean he shot a man with no proof he had drugs at all in front of his little kid, so you should totally believe him when he says the dude rushed at him with a knife.

God, you're naive.

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 9:53pm Permalink
Curt W Larson (not verified)

In reply to by RocketeerJoe (not verified)

ya okay but I don't care who you are if I am child services I am not lying for no one saying there was a knife when there wasn't or whatever. It's true it's sad but you can't threaten a cop with a knife and not expect to die that's a fact , it's death by cop plain and simple, dude had to want to have died at that point and time. If you think the social services and whomever else was there are all lying to cover this up then you are pretty naive.

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:11pm Permalink
thatgirl (not verified)

In reply to by Curt W Larson (not verified)

Do you seriously think that a man who was days away from gaining full custody of his child commited suicide by cop? I believe you're the naive one and need to reread your responses to make sure they make sense before posting them.
Sat, 04/07/2012 - 2:48am Permalink
Dan Richeson (not verified)

In reply to by Curt W Larson (not verified)

As a father I may have done the same thing. I think he was provoked. The laws regarding cannabis were born on the wings of lies and pampered by propaganda such that now the tightly held belief systems are going to have to reckon with the desire of all humanity to live with dignity, free from the oppressive tyranny that ignorance and biggotry have spawned. http://www.change.org/petitions/all-elected-represenitives-and-the-united-nations-recognize-the-rights-of-cannabis-users

Sat, 05/26/2012 - 12:07am Permalink
cynthia haynesc (not verified)

In reply to by Curt W Larson (not verified)

Yes, you really do need to re-think things. First, was the knife "planted" on this poor dead father by the cops because they know they did a boo-boo?  Second, Did he "really" come after the cops with a pocketknife or did they all lie to protect the cop? The cop needed to be charged and trialed. Period!

Wed, 02/20/2013 - 10:21pm Permalink
Get Real (not verified)

In reply to by cynthia haynesc (not verified)

No knife was planted first of all. Second of all yes Cynthia he really did go after the cops with a knife and is was well known for being ill tempered when it came to being around anyone in the emergency services. It was a good, clean, justifiable shoot, dont like it move to China where you as a citizen have no rights to self defense because that's what you're saying the cop had no rights to.

Wed, 02/27/2013 - 4:20am Permalink
Gersh Avery (not verified)

In reply to by Get Real (not verified)

There was a lie about marijuana.

 

Based on that lie, CPS was allowed to be there. Illegally, based on false statements.

 

The man was justified in protecting his child to the best of his ability.

The cops were justified in shooting the father, because of the knife.

 

ALL of this took place because of false statements in court paperwork.

 

Falsified statements on court records are a crime. The commission of this crime cost a person their life.

Thu, 04/11/2013 - 11:46am Permalink
Get Real (not verified)

In reply to by Gersh Avery (not verified)

You did read the police reports and witness statements available through the Gaylord Herald correct? There was a neighbor that told the cops Reddie tried to get him to hide his drug paraphenalia. Cops aren't mind readers and they aren't human drug tests either. All this could have been easily avoided if Reddie had taken a drug test and not pulled a knife on the cops. He made a poor decision and again the original call was for a domestic. How is that protecting his kid? Directed at the kid or not as someone who lived in a household with domestic violence that is still child abuse and does permanent damage to a child that they will carry with them their entire lives. Reddie made a poor decision, the cops were not a threat to his child, his choice put his child directly in harm's way. He choose to escalate the situation with his kid present and that officially makes him an unfit parent.

Fri, 04/12/2013 - 7:59pm Permalink

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