The SILENCE of DuPree (re Scott Farris) [Archive]

HubCityMan1912

07-17-2005, 05:54 PM

Further Details re the Scott Farris HPD "arrest"...(Transcribed directly from a preliminary written account by Scott Farris personally.)...

Farris is in the process of helping sell his mother/grandmother's longtime home near downtown H'burg...He had been in town all afternoon Monday (11 July 2005) placing a "for sale" ad in the H'burg American, putting up for sale signs on the property, and generally inspecting/cleaning up the place...About dusk that evening (aprox. 8:30 PM) there being no power at the now vacant house, he contacted a longtime [african-american] friend and part-time business associate who's family has a carpet cleaning/floor repair business, re repairs and cleaning of the floors of the house in preparation for its sale...At Farris' suggestion (in order to take a needed break/relaxation and discuss some business) the two men attended the 9:30 showing of the movie "War of the Worlds" at Turtle Creek Mall, via Farris' small 1991 Ford Ranger pickup truck (his "work truck"/"farm truck")...Around the end of the movie the carpet cleaning man's wife called re the condition of their ill 8 year-old daughter, and the father asked Farris to take him to check on his daughter staying with his mother/father-in-law in the Richburg community...They left the Mall headed for Richburg around 11:30 PM, driving in Farris' small 4-cylinder work truck (his secondary vehicle [full-sized Chevy Van is his primary vehicle])...They headed east on Hwy 98 and turned right (south) on Weathersby Rd in front of the Lowes store...They passed an HPD car to their right (west) which was parked to the side rear of the Lowes parking lot and near the east wall of the Lowes bld, the HPD car facing east...The HPD car almost immediately pulled in behind the Farris truck with lights flashing and spotlight blaring...Farris immediately pulled over to the right edge of Weathersby at the stop sign interesection opposite the Northeast Lamar Volunteer Fire Station...Two officers approached on each side of the truck...The one on Farris' side (driver side) explained that it was [a routine traffic stop] because of a non-functioning right front headlight and turn-signal. (This was due to a recent collision with an adult doe deer on Hwy 11 N near Moselle in Jones County [a primary route to Farris' mother's home in Ellisville], which Farris explained the circumstances thereof to the officer--and the plausible extinuating circumstances leading to the light being still un-repaired.)...The officer then asked for Farris' drivers license--presumably to issue a citation for improper equipment violation, and both officers retreated back to the HPD car to the rear of the Farris truck...After a long 10 minutes, one came back to the passenger side and asked the passenger to step out of the vehicle , which he [passenger] did without complaint and was escorted to the rear of the truck (front of the cop car)...Farris remained seated, quiet, and facing front...After another long wait, Farris turned to look thru the open rear window of the truck to see his friend [u]handcuffed! Still, he said nothing for a long moment, but finally, in a respectful, conversational-toned voice asked: "What's going on officers?", "What's the problem?", to which one of the officers mumbled something in a discourteous tone which Farris did not understand...This officer--JOHN BRISTER ["white" male, very young]--then walked back to the passenger-side window of the truck, leaned over, made eye contact with Farrris thru the open window, when Farris repeated the same two questions--again in a respectful and normal tone of voice--to which Brister rudely replied "He's wanted on a bench warrant" [turned out later to be an upaid check], to which Farris replied "What does that mean?", to which Brister replied [again very discourteously] "A judge has a bench warrant on him!" (Farris, who has FIVE lawyers in his family knew that much, he wanted to know WHO/WHICH jurisdiction, etc.) So Farris then asked [still nicely] "WHICH judge?", to which Brister SHOUTED BACK WITH EXTREME DISRESPECT: "That's none of your business!", to which Farris responded with justified perturbedness-but still respectful--"Well, excuse me officer, but I believe that it IS some of my business--he's a friend of mine and you have [removed him from my vehicle and] HANDCUFFED him!" [for a civil--not criminal--offense] and Farris then said: "I'm a taxpaying citizen of this City and..." With that, Brister races around the rear of the truck shouting for Farris to get out, and as Farris does so, Brister--never breaking stride--rushes around the corner of the truck shouting to Farris "You dont [b]threaten a police officer!", to which Farris tried to respond "I'm not threatening a--" but in the same instant, Brister pepper-sprayed Farris in both his eyes and face...Shocked and stunned [immediate complete blindness for at least 30 minutes accompanied by excruciating pain], Farris immediately turned to his left and placed both hands on the roof of the truck for balance and to keep his knees from buckling...He made no effort at physically restisting or even verbally protesting to Brister...Yet--incredibly--Brister then jumped on Farris' back while calling for his partner [Gavin? or Garvin?--also "white" male, very young] to assist him in "a take down" of Farris to the hard pavement, which they did without any physical or even verbal restistance from Farris, while at the same time Brister completed HANDCUFFING Farris...

After this painful and completely unneccesary/unjustified manhandling of Farris, he was kept in this extremely uncomfortable position for at least 15 minutes, then ordered to arise--without any assistance (Farris, 48, has a pre-existing damaged back, the condition of which was of course seriously aggravated by this ordeal)--and escorted by two cops to the rear cage of another police car...It was at this time that completely-blinded Farris stated very calmly and simply to the officers: "You men have made a serious mistake.", to which both officers mockingly replied : "Oh, have we now?"...Farris was then placed in the back seat cage of a HPD car with all doors shut--and left alone to suffer for at least 30 minutes or more...But Farris is also seriously clautrophobic and 6'4'', so that this close and long confinement only added to his misery ["cruel & unusual punishment"?]...Also at some point during this period, the other officer originally present (on site of the 2 hour incident)--Gavin or Garvin--sat down in the front driver's side seat and asked Farris: "What you been stealing?!", to which Farris replied: "Nothing", to which Gavin responded "We've got you on record as a convicted burglar!", to which Farris responded "No, not me, never!", to which Gavin replied "That's what our records show.", to which Farris responded: "Your records are wrong!", to which Gavin said nothing, and vacated the car (for the time being)...

Finally shift commander Lt. Tucker arrived and opened the rear door (a small relief for claustrophobic Farris) to get Farris' "statement", and he was relatively respectful, decent, competent (for which Farris thanked him)--BUT--1) He first insinuated that he was "surprised" that a man in Farris' position would want to make a full statement (which, on the contrary, Farris was most eager to do so--even with Brister standing over him and even when he was still in some physical and mental shock from the harsh effects of the pepper-spray, etc.)...2) At the conclusion of Tucker's interview with Farris, Farris explained his problem with claustrophbia and the fact that he had already been in this close confinement at least some 45 minutes, and requested that Tucker at least leave the rear door open...To this modest request Tucker replied: "They're fixing to take you downtown right now.", and with that he slammed the door back shut! Well, Farris was not taken downtown "right now", but was forced to endure his agonizing circumstances for at least another 20 minutes or more--while at least 6 to 8 officers of both HPD AND Lamar County Sheriff's Office milled around laughing and talking, alternatingly ignoring or--in the case of the HPD officers--"gloating over" trapped Farris! (Brister in particular, clearly "enjoyed" his power/authority.)...At least THREE HPD cars and THREE LCS cars--for a total of at least SIX patrol cars were present for the last 30 to 45 minutes of this outrageous "incident"! (As if some "major" drug bust, violent shootout, or at the very least a big bad drunken fist-fight had occurred!)

Finally, Gavin and Brister returned to the HPD car with Farris still handcuffed in the back seat cage, and proceeded at a fast speed directly to the Forrest County Regional Jail in Downtown Hattiesburg...Enroute, not a word was spoken by Farris or either HPD officer...ETA at the jail was aprox. 2AM, meaning Farris was on site of the "incident" a full 2 hours or more...

Upon entering the jail, the two [again--young "white" male] Forrest County Sheriff's jailers immediately proceeded to verbally abuse, degrade, disrespect, and physcially threaten Farris (e.g., alluding to use of a 50,000 watt "stun gun" on Farris--said the one jailer with ominous glee: "Yeah, that's what we use instead of pepper-spray!"), even though Farris--still handcuffed and near blindness from the pepper-spray--was completely compliant and cooperative physically and verbally the entire time...

Farris and his passenger/friend/business associate were re-united for the first time since Farris was pepper-sprayed, and were duly "processed", and then thrown into a narrow "holding cell" where already 7 or 8 other adult men were sleeping, so little or no room to sit or lie down except on the narrow hall floor. (i.e. hence, more claustrophobia problems for Farris)...The necessary collect phone calls were made from this place and Farris was subsequently bonded out at aprox. 3:30 AM, after spending a total of about 90 cruel minutes in jail...However, due to the deliberate non-cooperation of the worst-offending jailer [neither had name badges or would give their names], Farris' bailbondsman was still at HPD headquarters some TWO MILES away when Farris was suddenly released and dumped out on Forrest Street in downtown Hattiesburg [aprox.3:30AM]--WITH NOTHING BUT THE CLOTHES ON HIS BACK! None of his personal effects were returned (i.e. wallet, cell phone, money/change, keys, watch, ring, etc.)...As Farris walked through the front door of the jail, he again asked the jailer his name, to which the young "bully" replied very sarcasticly: "Why do you need to know my name?", to which Farris calmly replied: "For when I take legal action against all y'all!", to which this arrogant jailer replied "Yeah, right.", to which Farris responded: "I tell you this: You remember the name SCOTT FARRIS! You'll remember it!" [As he and the others surely NOW already do!], to which the jailer responded with disdain: "Yeah, whatever.", and locked the front door...

At this point Farris wandered up to East Pine St, then realizing his continuing predicament, walked back to the front of the jail, and--via the outside intercom--inquired as to where his personal effects were, to which a surprisingly and suddenly [relatively] courteous voice replied: "You were arrested by HPD, all your stuff is at their headquarters." [2 miles south down S. Main and Bay St.!], to which Farris replied "Thank you", and walked back out to the curb of Forrest Street in front of the Regional Jail...

Farris was still contemplating his situation and what to do next, when--within less than 10 minutes--a young "black" lady drove past and stopped in front of the newspaper stands (located across from the jail near the southeast corner of the Downtown Hattiesburg Post Office)...She was a carrier for the Clarion-Ledger newspaper and was placing that morning's edition [Tuesday 12 July] in the newsrack...Farris called acrossed the street to her: "Excuse me ma'am, but could I possibly borrow your cell phone to make an emergency call?", to which she responded by looking--but said nothing (she was understandably cautious/defensive)...Farris slowly walked across the street, while continuing to speak to her (telling her his name, background, etc.)...When Farris arrived near her front car door, she indicated that she had no cell phone, but she graciously offered and Farris gratefully accepted 75 cents, so that he could use the P.O. payphone to make another collect call, which he did...

At aprox. 4AM, one of Farris' paternal cousins (an attorney), picked him up on Forrest Street and drove him to the home of his mother in Ellisville...Thus, the first phase of his maddening ordeal was over but: 1) Due to physical and mental trauma, Farris did not sleep for some 48 hours, 2) Neither his eyes nor his back has fully recovered--and may not ever, 3) To this day, neither Farris' wallet nor his passenger's wallet has been returned to them by HPD. (In Farris' case, this included about $30 in cash, various credentials, and priceless, irreplaceable family photos.)...

Farris will of course plead "NOT GUILTY" to the charge of "Disorderly Conduct against a Sworn Officer", will then be awarded a trial (at which time he will seek to have all charges dropped and his record expunged [i.e. be completely exonerated]...He has also filed a formal written complaint with HPD ("Affadavit of Complaint"), and will also likely take further legal action for damages against at least HPD officer John Brister and HPD...

A post-account Commentary by Scott Farris will be posted here and available elsewhere very soon. (And will hopefully eventually be published--AS A PUBLIC SERVICE--by our primary local print media--Bob Pittman's Independent News [weekly] and the Hattiesburg American [daily].)