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Newsbrief:
Border
Guard
Charged
in
Beating
of
Suspected
Marijuana
Smuggler
7/30/04
A US Homeland Security border
guard faces charges after beating up a Chinese woman tourist he suspected
was involved in a small-time marijuana smuggling incident. Officer
Robert Rhodes was charged July 21 with violating the tourist's civil rights.
He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The July 19 incident took
place at the US-Canada border crossing at Niagara Falls, New York.
Customs officers had seized a small quantity of marijuana from a male pedestrian
crossing into the US. A small group of Chinese women tourists was
standing nearby. Rhodes, believing the woman he assaulted was involved,
allegedly sprayed her with pepper spray, threw her into a wall, kneed her
head as she knelt on the ground, and hit her on the head while pulling
her hair, according to witness accounts collected by the Associated Press.
The woman was treated at
a local hospital and released, but not before being interviewed by a Homeland
Security agent. In an affidavit, the agent noted that the woman's
eyes were nearly swollen shut and that her head was covered with bumps
and bruises.
In an incident report, Rhodes
wrote that the Chinese woman and two others ran when he asked them to come
inside the inspection station. He also claimed that he pepper-sprayed
her after she attacked him.
The Chinese woman tourist
was not involved in the pot smuggling incident.
Welcome to America, eh?
The one question left hanging, of course, is whether Rhodes would have
been charged had his victim actually had a joint in her pocket.
-- END --
|
Issue #348, 7/30/04
Editorial: Too Many Questions |
An All-Time High: Nearly 7 Million Behind Bars or on Probation or Parole |
MPP, ACLU Sue Nevada to Gain Ballot Access for Marijuana Initiative |
DRCNet Book Review: "The New Prohibition: Voices of Dissent Challenge the Drug War," edited by Sheriff Bill Masters (Accurate Press, $14.95 PB) |
Newsbrief: British Drug Panel Considering Anti-Drug Vaccinations for Schoolchildren |
Newsbrief: Border Guard Charged in Beating of Suspected Marijuana Smuggler |
Newsbrief: Justice Department Orders Libraries to Return Asset Forfeiture Documents |
Newsbrief: Despite High Court Ruling, Old Drug Conviction Keeps Man from His Kids |
Newsbrief: West Australia Quietly Shifts From Drug Arrests to Diversion |
Newsbrief: British Marijuana Arrests Plummet Following Legal Reclassification |
Newsbrief: This Week's Corrupt Cops Story |
This Week in History |
Media Scan: Canada, Canada, Canada, Kerry |
The Reformer's Calendar
|
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