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Michigan Father Killed in Marijuana Child Removal Incident

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.

https://stopthedrugwar.org/files/170505100-16111437.jpg
William Reddie
[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.

Grayling, MI
United States
Permission to Reprint: This article is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license.
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Yes, you are wrong on so many levels

Because of poor police decisions, an innocent father is gunned down, in front of his innocent child. And that CHILD has to live with, along with his family, the piss poor violations of the law that the police chose to make, under color of authority.

 

Not even a decent try, n your part, by the way.

Two things

1)They didn't mention that they found any marijuana in the house (not that it would matter, but just saying; the guy didn't even turn out positive and there's no mention of having found any at the house).

2)Exactly what clintjcl said: if they had the tasers out to begin with, and the supposed reason for the use of deadly force was that the officer didn't have time to protect himself any other way, then why not use the taser? shouldn't it have taken him longer to take out the gun than to use the taser that was already in his hand? 

Obama we need you LOL

I wonder where Obama is now?  would this guy look like his Vice Presidents son if he didnt have one?  lmao.. OBAMA you need to get up North in Michigan to help this family get a protest organized like Trayvan... Oh wait.. You are too busy helping your Non Existent son.    so much for for the people.. 

Obama wont step foot on this one bet on it. 

Was the cop a white hispanic?  

You're an idiot.

You're an idiot.

This isn't the Limbaugh show

This isn't the Limbaugh show or Faux Nooz, and nobody wants to hear your moronic bigotry here.

Right on

Right on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with the original commenter

He is absolutely right.  O'Bummer wont touch it cause this cat is white.

The original comments is spot

The original comments is spot on

Let me say this first:

I'm not a Republican or a Democrat; labels are often prison bars around the Mind.

I don't subscribe to the false left-right paradigm; it's a divide-and-conquer mechanism designed to create the ILLUSION of Choice. As the masses squabble amongst themselves on which “side” to blame , the elitist, corporatist banksters that control BOTH "sides" continue their agenda unabated!

IT'S A 2-PARTY DICTATORSHIP!

The rare exception is those like Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, & FEW others who ALWAYS fight for the People & NEVER sell out. Don't believe me, research them!

.:.

After everything we've seen in polytricks (politics), how can you so easily beLIEve ANYTHING the media/government/control system says?!

.

Good People- it’s GREAT that we can have a half-black President. We’ve come a long way! But you REALLY Think he's unlike the rest just b/c he‘s got African blood? We’ve GOT to stop judging People based on their skin color- that’s racist!
For God's sake, one of the first things Obama did in office was FILL 25 SENIOR CABINET POSITIONS WITH WALL STREET, CORPORATIST INSIDERS- & even more of these banksters in 2nd & 3rd tier positions! This flies in the face of everything he CLAIMS to represent! They literally came STRAIGHT from some of the highest Wall Street jobs to holding some of the highest seats of authority in America! Conflict of interest seems like an understatement…

...and Occupy Wall St protestors support Obama? RRRRREALY?!

He refused to veto the Patriot Act & now we have his NDAA, the Trespass Act, & the Federal Restricted Buildings & Grounds Improvement Act of 2011! (BOTH ANTI- PROTEST/FREE SPEECH) destroying MORE Civil Liberties!
It’s as if Bush is still in office only now he can get away with SO much more!

...

PLEASE People... For the Love of God, WAKE UP, DO SOME RESEARCH, & STOP LETTING THEM FOOL YOU OVER & OVER & OVER (left then right then left then right then…)

THE GAME IS RIGGED!

It's all a cleverly-crafted theater of polytricks!!!

MARK MY WORDS:

If Obama is re-elected-or any Republican besides Ron Paul wins (PLEASE research Dr. Paul's long, consistent, pro-People record from INDEPENDENT, OBJECTIVE sources)- America will further collapse into a total, 3rd world police state of terrible suffering…

If you want to have a decent future, it's time to wake up & face the conspiracy FACTS- not "theories"- behind our plight...

To escape from bondage you must 1st see the chains that bind you.

.

PLEASE make time for these CRUCIAL documentaries; all uploaded to Youtube. If you're unsure of the info, don't just dismiss it in willful ignorance- or even blindly believe like so many do with major media- research it to confirm the Truth for yourself:

~"The Order of Death" (Alex Jones snuck into the dark playground of the world's elitists, Bohemian Grove, & filmed one of their rituals; learn true nature of the powers-that-be )

~"Invisible Empire: A New World Order Defined" (banksters ADMITTING ON VIDEO AND PAPER their desire for a "new world order")

~"Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement"

~"Police State 4: The Rise of FEMA" (EMPTY PRISON CAMPS ALREADY BUILT ALL OVER AMERICA; & more)

~“The Obama Deception” (famous black People speaking out against Obama)

~“America: Freedom to Fascism”

~"Fall of the Republic"

~"Terrorstorm" (history of gov-sponsored terrorism & more)

~"9/11 Press for Truth"

~”9/11 The Myth & the Reality”

~"Fabled Enemies"

~"Loose Change: Final Cut"

~”The 9/11 Chronicles: Truth Rising”

.

WEBSITES:

NATURALNEWSdotCOM

INFOWARSdotCOM

What does President Obama

What does President Obama have to do with this? Please keep your idiotic political beliefs out of this!!! This was totally unjust & hopefully this will be handled & resolved! These cops in the North really have no clue about law & order!! Put them on the streets of Detroit & see how they fare!!

it IS political

Actually this IS very political.  Educate yourself on it and you'll see for yourself.  This is happening everywhere and will keep happening.  It's called a police state!

They'd Be Scared as Hell, Try to Bully & Harass Down There!

If they are going to harass a disabled, senior up here in Grayling, I know they aren't man enough to do what they need to do down in Detroit. They think they ARE the LAW and in that ORDER. They do not know they are here to uphold the Law and make us safe. They make us afraid of them with their intentional abuse of unaware citizens. And then do their little cover-ups. I think downstate they know they would be dead if they tried that BS down there.

OMG

Just curious, do you even have a life? I have insomnia and appreciate the fact that cops have saved my ass multiple times over, what's your excuse? Do you have nothing better to do, than make up BS stories and rant an rave about nothing on the internet?

Right back at ya, Cop.

The real question here belongs to you. Do YOU have a life? Because what ever you have that poses for one, seems to be trolling here, and attacking and castigating everyone who doesn't share your stilted, police filtered, point of view.

I'm thinking that this would actually BE everyone here. So go get a life...AGAIN.

Reasonable Cause

"Even if he (Will) had a knife and lunged at police..."

Wait, wait, wait... WHAT?  Lunging at an office with a knife ISN'T a reason to get shot at??? Since when? I think it's a bit extreme to take his child away yes... but that in no way should be cause for him to act how he acted. And for everyone to act shocked that the officer shot him.... just wow. I'm surprised you're ok that the officers had Tasers and aren't complaining they should have been using pillows... or just asked him nicely to stop.... because the Tasers might hurt him. This is real life. Not a movie. If you attack an office (because that's what this was) you shouldn't expect to be able to walk away. End of story. It's cold to say, but it's true.

as soon as he pulled the

as soon as he pulled the knife they should have tased him..NOT put the tasers away and draw guns! sounds to me like a bunch of pussy cops! scared to tase the dude..so the situation got out of control! oh that's right! they were there to "control" the situation! innocent man dead...for NO reason! controlled? not so much!

Innocent men don't pull

Innocent men don't pull knives on people.  Disturbed people that aren't thinking rationally do.  Any kindergartner will tell you it's a bad idea to pull a weapon on a cop because you'll get killed.

The cops pulled up to the home, assed the situation, drew Tasers, put their Tasers away to... do their job (i.e., they had State orders to remove the child.... not take the child to their home for the weekend cause they felt like it). They spoke with the man about the situation, attempted to remove the child, and at that point he produced a HIDDEN WEAPON and lunged at them. To which they fired their weapons.  You're acting like they ran back to their vehicles to get their shotguns just to "pump him full of lead".

No officer wakes up and says, "Hey, I hope I get the chance to kill someone today. That would rock." They acted to save their lives.

Go anywhere and pull any kind of weapon on a cop and see what happens. I guarantee it won't be "Oh gee, I better go get my Taser cause I don't want to hurt this poor innocent man that brandishing a weapon in my face."

That has to be one of the

That has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever read. The article reads (and this is a direct quote): 

"Police had been deploying Tasers, but holstered them and grabbed their guns when Reddie displayed the knife."

To put it in other words, police had been deploying tasers, but when Reddie displayed the knife, holstered them and grabbed their guns. When you're "defending against a knife attack", and you're already holding a weapon that will stop the attack, what do you do?

A) Discharge the non-lethal weapon that you are already holding, or

B) Holster the weapon in your hand(s), draw a different, lethal weapon, aim and discharge it? 

As a general rule of thumb, when you're in close quarters - if someone already has a weapon out, you won't have time to pull your own weapon out before they reach you or discharge their weapon. Why did the police officer take that chance? 

Sure, violence, threat of violence and use of weapons against police officers is pretty dumb. You've also got to be pretty dumb to maintain that Redding's murder was justified. That's blatantly untrue. 

 

As a digression, how would you feel if a police officer came to your house, wrongly accused you of using or storing marijuana, and ran to the CPS which later came with armed police escort to steal your child away? 

It's easy to say "innocent people don't X" when you have no qualification to know their state of mind, and are apparently less than good at reading. 

Agreed.

My sentiments exactly.

how the hell do you know

what cops are thinking when they wake up??? NO cops wake up hoping they can shoot someone?? bull !  lets not generalize and say all cops are good and righteous  what say you????

In re: innocent men don't pull....

Its a common practice for police to carry a weapon to drop in the event of a bad call on their part. Hell, look at all the videos posted of cops attacking someone displaying no aggression other than arguing with them and then their victims are charged with assault and resisting arrest. In this case, the ONLY people claiming he was armed were the ones who shot him and backed up his killer. Here's another scenario: father is upset by false accusation, his three year old child cries out for his father because the CPS worker is roughly handling him and he verbally threatens CPS and/or takes a step towards them and is shot for it.

UN-trained UN-skilled Scared COPS- Dad defends HIS FAMILY

To in any way say that a police officer is justified in this - smacks of ignorance. Pure & simple : ANY decent cop would have stepped back in a muli-second , grabbed their night stick (OR tazer!)  - a small wack on the wrist would have disarmed this Dad instantly. This was not a smart action for Dad to do, but in a case of your son being ripped away - who on earth will be thinking straight - not ME not you - believe me- defending you family and your home. Cops should be not in jail - simply shot dead - as they did to this dad.They should never have been there in the first place - ALL heresay and false allegation = manipulation by the Mom.

  I have also a 4 yr old son, my life, my 1st priority - and have just been screwed out custody by his Mom & this system - that relies on 'heresay to get court orders ' yet when it comes to court that will never fly. The recent case in Portland Oregon (nearby) of  Josh  " (not equal comparison-but happens too often) was an example of another way things can end.... It will happen over & over, and if you really thin k that a rally or writing to your congressman will do much - you are in serious denial.

  In my situation, I am disabiled, accused of MJ use, been assaulted 3 times,i never even touched my ex,am now broke, cannot work, survived cancer while son was 2 yrs (live for MY SON -LIVE !) have been harrassed,and slandered all over(& liabled) ,threatened by her atty, and w current order I must comply to she can demand drug tests every 30 days at my own expense - if I have no $ - I will not see my son, if I drink too water - the test considered to be invalid.

 The system if broken, and to put it simply  - if the cops do come similarly - they will NOT leave similarly. I have no criminal record, have always had concealed gun lic - I am "Golden"  a law abiding citizen,NOT into guns, non-violent, teach my son very well... BUT will not allow this

to occur - not on my property, not with my son. Do not even say justice-can you say "ROSE COLORED GLASSES=DENIAL! " oh justice will prevail - I know better, after almost 40 years as an adult - the system is a joke. I was in the police academy once - to find that it was corrupt, and full of preferential games - the "BOYs Club,"..Now for those whom have the balls - the only real justice will be the fear of GOD.

  This type of outcome has been originated by the MOM - she is at true fault. This outcome is simply a case of extreme lack of human respect, and the passive aggressive games that evil atty's play. In fact now the Mom got exactly what she wanted, and likely she has a ready replacement for Daddy (now dead & out of the way) a manipulation in order to murder legally  - she certainly knew what her ex would react to - and pushed his buttons. I'll not bother stating - if I were childs uncle, or ..... Everyone has a limit - people that abuse human respect are arrogant and you can see how that may play out in the END     >

kid

you are right i would be deranged if some unknown enity came in and said you dont have a right to the child u have taken care of for years. i would do anything for my daughter, any parent would.

Listen to the comments from

Listen to the comments from the family...the same cops that bullied him earlier in the day returned with CPS in toe to take the only thing he ever loved...desperation does strange things to the mind, especially when you feel your being attacked.  CPS didn't have ANY grounds that there was any use.  A responsible CPS worker would have asked him to take a drug test to prove innocence to the allegations, not show up with the brute squad.

Because he didn't-or because the cops weren't innocent?

Yes-you are completely right in your assertion. "The police pulled up to the home and ASSED the situation".

 

Yes, that is exactly what they did. Further, they pulled up to the home, at some point in their harassment of this citizen, he SUPPOSEDLY pulled, of all things, a "pocket knife" (what are the legal limits regarding the size of a "pocket knife" there? 1 1/2 inches or so?), and therefore, under threat of immediate attack (as they allege), all of the cops HOLSTERED their non-deadly force Tazers, and took the extended time needed to draw their deadly force side arms, to KILL this law abiding citizen.

 

Yes, they did indeed ASS the situation, as you so astutely say.

If ANYONE repeatedly harasses

If ANYONE repeatedly harasses you and comes to your home to steal your kid, you should have every right to defend your child from kidnapping. Unless they have a badge and a bogus claim. 

FOOL

i take it your either a cop or a friend of one.....tasers would have dropped him but, they holstered those to draw out their guns to shoot him .....go tell your vop friends to get a life and stop thinking they have a license to kill just because they wear a badge!

Are you CRAZY or just STUPID?

Are you CRAZY or just STUPID? The cops were not in any danger from a stupid pocket knife. They are trained for situations like that. If tasers were drawn, then that's all that was needed to subdue the man. This criminal scum bag hiding behind a badge wanted to kill that man just to prove that he has power over others. Power is a very addictive drug and these guys are drunk with it. It was murder pure and simple and justice has not been properly served. I don't know how I would handle it if someone was unjustifiably trying to STEAL my kid away from me, but I've got a feeling that there is a possibility that there was no knife, just a planted weapon to protect the asses of the guilty. The "cops" handled it completely wrong and something needs to be done. I wonder if you would feel the same way if it was you or a loved one on the wrong end of that gun. Stand up Americans! There are more of us then there are of them. It's time to take our country back! Long live the true USA!

you let em then

Okay, if/when this ever happens to YOU...you go ahead and let them take your kid(s).  You stand aside and allow strangers to waltz into your home, accuse you of all kinds of shit and then you step aside while they take whatever they want, including your kids.  You be a good little citizen, now.  SCREW YOU!  You're a SHEEP!  You deserve anything you are willing to accept, but dont expect me or anyone else to take that crap!  That man had a right to defend himself and his property/family!  He was INNOCENT!!  He was killed trying to keep his son from being taken, and NO they did not have to shoot him, dumbass.  You are SO very ignorant!

There's a Big "IF" There.....

The cops up here I have witnessed doing intentional, hurtful, degrading things to citizens as they are arrest them, and laughing about it while they do these things, for no reason than to get their kicks, and then outright, straight out lie about it in court.

I don't even believe Reddie went after them nor do I believe he had a knife. You have to know how some of the cops up here in Grayling work. I do. I have witnessed it.

I just might write a movie about it. Then you can't say it is not a movie. This is real life in the Grayling Sheriff Department, in particular.  Cold to say, sad but true.

Yours truly,

Author and scriptwriter, CH

You Dont Even Know The Name of Your Own Sheriff's Dept!

Alright, now I'm really getting pissed. I say this because I know Klepadlo and the kind of man he is, so you really need to cut the crap because you dont know him from Adam and your son being arrested gives you no right to judge the cops especially not cops that weren't involved in his arrest. At first I felt sorry for you because I can't imagine having a child of mine go to prison, but you've crossed a line of judgement one too many times at this point. Why do you look at the sliver in other's eyes when there is a plank in your own? It is written if you even hold anger/contempt in your heart for another you are a murderer. I can keep going on this forever and I wont back down from sticking up for those who are willing to come save my ass from the sick psycho's of this world. And this post is in no way a threat or meant to come across as threatening. I'm just danged tired of the way certain citizens treat the cops in this county! You would be too if you knew these men, worked with and depended on them to come save you when shit hits the fan. The really irritating part is that jokers like you are the same people who refuse to yield to emergency vehicles then turn around and scream at Emergency Workers because they didn't come to your emergency fast enough. I dare you to walk one day in any of our shoes, fire, ems or law enforcement because you would never say another damned disparaging remark again because one bad shift would tear your heart out and destroy someone like you.

 

You have no idea what any of us goes through on a daily basis at work. You might have one horrible day you call us for maybe a few a year.We are there for everyone's horrible day everyday we work and all we get is 90% of the time is jerks like you for whom nothing is ever good enough! And you wonder why we aren't all always filled with sugar and spice and everything nice? If you had to take the abuse emergency workers do, you'd have way more edges than any one of us does. Here's a thought, maybe if you started looking at the positive side to life and there is one believe it or not and thanking those who do what you could never handle things might go differently. You'll never get me to believe the disgusting accusations you've flung at Jacobi, it just isn't gonna happen! However, do the cops have bad days? Yep I know I do working in a completely different emergency service, serving your community. We bust our asses trying to take care of our community and 90% of what we hear is all negative, you would get pissy and have bad days at work too lady!

 

You wanna change the general attitude and way Emergency Workers view the community? It has to start with you, that's the only place change can ever start to take place in a community. You have to be the change you wish to see in your community and going around condemning others is just going to create a vicious cycle that never freaking stops!

YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU WORK FOR

Just like I've repeatedly said...COP.

 

I'm going to tell you this straight up: If you can't take the heat, GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN.

No one TOLD you to take this job. No one is twisting your arm to force you to keep it, and no one is going to lick your boots or kiss your ass because of it. You get your time, and your time an a half-and you'd do well to be damned grateful, since so many do not even have that much. You think it makes you somehow SPECIAL? Or gives you a different set of rules to live by? IT DOES NOT. You, and the rest of your cronies better figure this shit out, and soon.

 

When NON-COPS make mistakes, they get killed, like this guy, or go to jail. When NON-COPS get wrongly accused, they die or get locked up. When COPS make mistakes, other COPS cover their asses, and prosecutors look the other way, and people DIE. Yet COPS are not penalized, they keep their jobs and their freedom, and they keep living their lives. BECAUSE THEY THINK THE LAW DOES NOT APPLY TO THEM.

YOUR liability in a self-defense situation is 110% less than that of an average citizen. You and your cronies have a vested interest in LYING about every thing you do, to save your own asses. Never hear about that in court, though, DO YOU? One hour of YouTube videos in court would blow your asses clear out of the water, as far as credibility goes-but we will never see that in court, WILL WE????

But, you idiots get to bring crap into court, and foist it on people ALL of the time-because judges IGNORE the fact that they are supposed to be unbiased and neutral arbiters of the f''ckin LAW.

You sick and twisted bastard-YOU smell like you have been smoking marijuana. You REEK of marijuana, cocaine, and crookedness.

Did he or did he not hide the alleged knife behind his back?

On the one hand they say that when they first saw the knife they put away their tasers and pulled out their guns. On the other hand, they say that they did not even get to see the knife until Reddie supposedly was already lunging at the officer from a close proximity. If former is true (they already had guns drawn) they could have shot him in the leg. If the latter is true, it doesn't sound like they would have had time to pull out their guns (so if the latter was true then the former probably wasn't), but they could have tasered him. I have no idea what actually happened, but something seems fishy. I wouldn't be completely surprised if their was no knife at all.

Also, don't feed people the line that Klepadlo was trying to "protect  himself, the other officer and the three civilians that were present". Was Reddie in close proximity to all of them? Among the civilians, is Reddie's son included? If anything, Klepadlo was only trying to protect himself. And it seems likely he and his partners could have apprehended him and not killed him. Isn't it the specialty of police to be able to handle potentially volatile situations and do so safely? Isn't that their job? Shouldn't they be skilled/brave/restrained enough to be able to apprehend people in a safe manner? Shouldn't CPS have the social/psychological ability to deal with a parent whose son is being taken away and to be able to keep the situation stable? If they are not capable of doing that, should we be putting so much power in their hands in the first place? If someone wants to be a cop or work for CPS and be given the power to exert control over the population, sometimes through the use of force, we should be able to hold them to a pretty high standard. Shouldn't someone at least be liable for the poor planning of the whole operation? Or for the mistake of trying to take his son away when it wasn't warranted? Seems to me like the authorities sell us a bill of goods that says "we're capable, we know well what we do and how to do it, we have everyone's best interest at heart", and then in practice it seems they never trained or prepared themselves for what they pretended to be able to do and they were only interested in having the power to do it.  Now Reddie has been killed and his son has been left traumatized and without a father. Is no one going to be held accountable for any of it?

No Knife? No pot.

  • Its obvious this is a cover up and it sounds to me the cop COULD NOT make an arrest. The agitated officer called his honey at CPS and set the stage. Now the toxicology report found no trace of marijuana which directly conflicts with the authorities statement of Mr Reddie smoking it in front of the child...the very reason CPS had an expedited court order for removal.. so I am  left with this thought.....did he really hide a knife behind his back and lunge for the cops and CPS?  Did he have a marijuana insurance card and it pissed the cop off he COULD NOT make an arrest? This is so disturbing anyway just a thought.... If he obviously did not smoke in front of his boy did the latter really happen? hhhmmm

I concur

Indeed, since the cop undoubtedly lied about the marijuana, which can be detected a month after use, and tests showed he was clean, then the cops entire testimony is in question. 

 

Did the victim even own a pocket knife? 

Was a knife planted on him to justify the murder?

 

This cop, the CPS and all those involved in the kidnapping crime and murder, need to be brought to justice -- REAL justice.

How 'Bout It Grayling? Do We Want Justice Here?

Stop all this BS the cops here are doing before it comes your way. And if you think you have to do a crime to have it happen, better think twice. Cops here in Grayling lie. I am just hoping there are a few good ones here until we get the Bad Cops out of here. Hell, we have to protect ourselves from the Cops here in Grayling. 

More Harm Done

Do they not realize that killing the sons father right in front of him is going to do way more damage than ALLEGEDLY smoking pot in front of him. That little boy now has to deal with that image in his mind of his father being shot to death. And it looks like he doesn't even smoke pot if he had none in his system, weed stays in your system for a bit and it sounds to me that this whole situation happened in a matter of hours. I am so sick an tried of people bashing pot cause its all they know, the only reason pot ever became illegal was  in the 1930's when The Ford Motor Company was booming and so was the Timber Trade. William Randolph Hearst, a major consumer of the cheap tree-pulp paper used readily made Du Pont Chemical Drenched Paper, which fell apart after a few weeks. Hearst's company was about to be taken over by a new low cost, high quality Hemp paper. So Hearst spent every waking moment trying to have Marihuana placed on every Narcotics bill in the United States. Which is rather ironic since in modern times the legalization of weed would basically fix the financial issue in the states, id say in a matter of a year or 2

So where are all the lawyers?

So where are all the lawyers? People need to organize protests and hold these corrupt officials feet to the fire until they are fired. Charges also need to be brought up....federal ones. This is just like Trayvon Martin's murder.

POT BAD, EXTREME ALCOHOLICS OK?

.

 

    THEY DO NOT TAKE KIDS AWAY FROM COMPLETE TOTAL DRUNKS DO THEY ????????????

 

.

no but they should I'm

no but they should I'm sober 20 years and if I pick up someone please take my kids

Bill Cooper exposes police

http://youtu.be/SpPJA_7obWw

once again the protectors

once again the protectors do more harm than good ..now that little boy will grow up and shoot a cop..over the freaking smell of mary jane? and he tested negative? why isnt the liar cop in jail..I bet it was the cops own throw down that "pocket knife"

They (LEO) will shoot to Kill (no leg shots), as this is Murder

ALL,

This is a Murder. This Man was defending His Home and His Son. I am shocked the People in Crawford County are not outraged and calling every representative they have to investigate this corrupt Cop and Department. They did a so-called "investigation" with the intent to cover it up. The Feds need to be brought into it along with Attorneys for a suit. This was an assassination as it is now known the Cop was there at this Man's Home around three (3) times that Day - the Cop was harassing the man and doing everything He could before a Custody Hearing in the next few days. I would not doubt if the Cop has something with the Man's X, so please get someone to investigate this --it was a setup.

The cop saying (since the Sup Crt ruled MJ smell COULD be probable cause): "I smelled Pot" that He then told to CPS, which was the basis, somehow, to get an emergency child removal Warrant. This is a nonsense basis  and People in this community better think about who they ELECTED AS A JUDGE, the Judge who granted the Warrant -as a smell can not be proved or disproved and can be coming from anywhere -- so if it is ever alleged it surely is not probably cause for a Warrant (especially given We have medical marijuana in Michigan, so it could have been that). Simply put, the smell is not and never should be the basis to issue a Warrant, or anything ---and yet, this Judge DID apparently grant a warrant on that basis, which is nuts. He is as responsible for this as the Cop and CPS as they simply never should have been allowed to proceed because of a (alleged) smell of Marijuana - next thing they will be using this over and over to raid homes and take children. Even CPS should have stopped as it is odd they instantly jumped into action, when a mere smell is alleged -- this is insane and they need investigated as well. It all stinks of a set up! 

 

This is a Wrongful death case and the Mother should interview dozens of Law Firms to take it and do not take NO for an answer from some Attorneys -- you have a case, but keep looking until some good Firm takes it with the resources to do it right -- as it is a multi-million dollar wrongful death case -- Reddie appears to have been murdered by the Government Actors in violation of His basic rights. Go find counsel and the Biggest Firm you can find.

FYI_ For those saying the Cops "should have shot him in the Leg," please know LEO does not shoot people in the Leg, ever. They just do not do that -- If they pull their weapon that will shoot center body mass -- in other words, they shoot to Kill You. That's it.

 

If you want to be protected, you need video recording at all times around you premises and make sure it is UPLOADED to the Cloud, so the surviving cops can not get to it and erase it -- as He or She will tells His side, but your Dead and Dead Men tell no stories as they say -- so Get some video recording IP Cameras around your Home and Businesses, Use them, test it and test it to upload and copy properly (there is help for this everywhere) - make sure it uploads (see below) properly to Amazon or other cloud based services that can send it to Asia, Europe and other servers in the World and password protected.

 

I do not believe this man Mr. Reddie pulled anything, much less a knife -- it was more than likely a "throw down" knife -- in other words, it was planted by the Cop or CPS or both to cover it up. With the Man dead, no one is able to oppose this, so it is up to the wrongful death Attorney to find the evidence.

VIDEO CAMERAS ARE THE ONLY PROTECTION WE HAVE ! Get some. Test them, use them.

A smartphone can also record video, and all these video cameras can upload the video to the website QIK.COM or other cloud based services that put video (or any files) in the cloud, protected by STRONG PASSWORDS (that you have told someone where it is and the file/user/password) in case anything ever happens.

This is the best protection as video does not lie. The video is not present at the premises, or is duplicated and uploaded to the "cloud" such as amazon web services *(which is real cheap)* --

 

PLEASE make sure you have this set up at your Home with if you can, multiple cameras with audio. And even that video can then be sent to multiple cloud storage places from there and stored for weeks or months -- with this,  it would be impossible for anyone to destroy it if they wanted to hide what really happened.

as if We had video of this incident, I think the outcome would be different. USE VIDEO, send it to the internet, stay in view of your cameras, and above all, DO NOT LET LEO COMES IN YOUR RESIDENCE, REFUSE TO ALLLOW ANY SEARCH OR ENTRY AND KEEP THOSE CAMERAS ROLLING AT ALL TIMES, as it is clear they now are killing people for nothing.

one of the elected officers

one of the elected officers owns a bar in town and is sleeping with one of his staff members both of them are married too.  He is also an officer in the Michigan National Guard that for what Im hearing made some bad decisions in Afghanistan that had a bad outcome to others.  So go figure the cops are shooting people they dont like.  This one is forcing the honest employees out of the bar and keeping the dishonest ones so he can cheat on taxes and lie on his bottom line.  Thats the NEW AMERICAN way thou.   At this point I can honestly say that I am NOT proud to be an American or an American Veteran.  The morals and ethics of our leaders are in question!

You Are Right on the Ball! An Attorney Maybe (or cop?)

I totally agree with every single thing you have written.

If only we had had the videos rolling....my son's cell phone did accidentally dial an old friend  while the cop punched him for nothing and a buddy he hadn't heard from in a while heard his friend asking the cop , "Why did you punch Me?" over and over, as Jacobi punched and sexually assaulted him in front of his wife and mother! (Was almost a not guilty or a hung jury but my son didn't listen to his attorney and whatever it was he testified to, made the jury give a guilty verdict. That's what the jury wrote in notes to the judge ). It's bad enough, juries being regular, everyday people, think that cops DO NOT lie. BS

I've got my cameras ready now......too late though.

I hope Reddies family listens to you.

You are very smart and know what's up. I can tell.

So they wanted to save the

So they wanted to save the child from seeing his father smoke pot, but it was okay for him to see his father shot and killed in front of him. Way to go child services.

I see a lot of anti

I see a lot of anti police comments here.  Fact of the matter is (as reported in this story) Mr. Reddie used deadly force against the police officers.  TAZERS are great an all, but not reliable enough in close proximity for the officers to deploy them when that close in a deadly force situation.  All it takes is for one probe to miss or fail to penetrate, and they are completely in effective.  If Mr. Reddie had not used deadly force, the officers would not have had to make the tragic decision to defend themselves.  This is a sad situation.  Mr. Reddie lost his life, and the officers have to live with the knowledge they took another person's life, (though justified).  If the reason they were there in the first place was flawed, that is something Mr. Reddie could have fought in court at a later time.  It was his decision to use deadly force which forced the officers to make their decision to use deadly force. Again, this whole situation is a sad sad tragic event.

What deadly force - ur in denial and can't see reality here

This in NO way was justified - whether the knife was 3" or a sword - the dad was out numbered, set up by CSD and the MOM. There was no valid reason for the cops to even be there. Let's see how YOU would react after being wrongfully accused by an ex wife,  in a moment of more stress than you ever imagined or expereinced... Give up the self righteous attitude -  this was  PROMOTED TO HAPPEN. And certainly the Dad was not thinking straight- Do not say how you would have done better or differently - you don't have clue. People that just follow orders w/out thinking are the sheep that make this ONCE great country into unthinking masses = NO rights.  

You have no idea what you are talking about

My IE crashed when posting the last comment so I'll say it again.  Obviously you have never fired a taser in your life because if you did you would know that they are effective at short range.  The probes are fired with a decent amount of force and if you'd miss at close range then you really have no business using a firearm of any sort.  Also let's look at the facts, the officer could have easily sprung back while the others kept him engaged and the fired the taser.  Instead they chose to do the following; put the taser away, draw the sidearm, release the safety, and fire.  Now do the math, how much time would it take to back up and use a taser vs pull out the sidearm?  So your defense of the officers scenario holds no water and could be ripped apart buy even a law school drop out.

Da fuck? Are you stupid

Da fuck? Are you stupid boy?

THE COPS SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN AT THIS MANS DOOR IN THE FIRST PLACE!!

So what if the guy smokes some pot, and honestly as bad as it sounds, who gives a flying fuck if its in the same room, unless the man in deliberately blowing smoke in the Childs face, trying to get the child high I don't believe there is nothing wrong with that. What's the difference between a man smoking a marijuana cigarette in front of his son compared to an actual cigarette. Don't more people get lung cancer from second hand smoke from CIGARETTES, versus MARIJUANA? 

The controversy with Marijuana, especially in Michigan is very unclear and all over the place. The bottom line is studies show that Cigarettes and Alcohol do more damage to the body and state of mind more than any Weed could. Yet, those two are legal and you don't see CPS Knocking down the guy across the streets door whose smoking a cigarette next to his kid, or offering his son a beer at 12. And the fact that this man was KILLED Is even sickening. Even if he did lung at the cop, I believe he had every right, as that cop was HARASSING the man. Where are his rights? Or after you kill someone do they not have any?

Almost as bad as Treyvon..

Says you!

And where is independent proof that what the police are ALLEGING is, indeed, FACT?

I can tell you where- NO WHERE.

 

Where is the proof that suggests the police were LYING? In the mans' toxicology tests alone. And, where there is smoke, there is fire-isn't that what the police are always claiming? The ACTUAL facts of the matter are that you have no idea what the ACTUAL facts are. But we do have some things that EVERYONE agrees on:

1. This man was about to gain custody of his child.

2. There was no evidence of marijuana in his system.

3. Since it is not mentioned, assumedly, no marijuana was FOUND.

4. It's pretty hard to prove, or disprove an allegation of an "odor".

5. There are no actors without a vested interest to witness what the actual events were in this situation.

6. There is more than enough proof that the police and CPS are ready, willing, and able to corrupt themselves and produce false evidence to which they will testify under oath.

7. Prosecutors have been found to be so corrupt in the course of their employment as to lead one Governor to enact a moratorium on the death penalty in his state.

8. Police officers are no less or more human than any other person. They have been proven liars and cheats, and they have been psychopathic domestic abusers-and certainly, according to the law, their word hold no more weight than any other citizen, by virtue of their badge. (Of course, for ignorant jurors, this means NOTHING).

 

THOSE are the FACTS in this situation-feel welcome to reply if you come up with any other actual FACTS.

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