A New York City rabbi who kept driving when a Vermont state trooper tried to pull him over for speeding has pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to elude in a traffic stop that his family called traumatizing.
Rabbi Berl Fink appeared in court Wednesday. He’s accused of failing to stop for suspected speeding for 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) on a remote interstate highway on Aug. 8.
Police video shows that after he pulled over, the trooper ordered him at gunpoint to lie on the ground and handcuffed him, as well as his son and wife.
His son has said he and his family felt they were targets of a terrorist attack.
A police investigation found that Trooper Justin Thompson acted according to his training and police policy and there was no evidence of bias.
(AP)
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7 Responses
Accept the fact that you’re guilty of evading a Police Officer and stop making a Chillul Hashem.
Not guilty to being charged with attempting to elude a traffic stop? The first 5 minutes of this video seems to indicate that he was eluding the traffic stop.
2013 Vermont Statutes
Title 23 Motor Vehicles
Chapter 13 OPERATION OF VEHICLES
§ 1133 Eluding a police officer
Universal Citation: 23 V.S.A. § 1133
1133. Eluding a police officer
(a) No operator of a motor vehicle shall fail to bring his or her vehicle to a stop when signaled to do so by an enforcement officer:
(1) displaying insignia identifying him or her as such; or
(2) operating a law enforcement vehicle sounding a siren and displaying a flashing blue or blue and white signal lamp.
(b)(1) A person who violates subsection (a) of this section shall be imprisoned for not more than one year or fined not more than $1,000.00, or both.
With all due respect he should plead guilty with a reason. How he can possibly think that those cops acted in a anto semitic way is beyond any logic. Good luck
The police should seek the maximum penalty of imprisonment for one year. No use fining him, $1000 is nothing these days. Seeing him in gaol will show his family what real trauma is.
Theo- what is wrong with you? You WANT a Yid to sit in prison????!! To “show his family what real trauma is”?! You’re sick in your head.
I think Mr. Fink was dead wrong, extremely wrong for making this into an argument of Anti-Semitism and now terrorism. I too think he belongs explaining why he failed to stop without all the added drama. But to wish upon another Jew to sit in jail?!
Stupidity all around.
The driver has no clue how to interact with law enforcement.
The officer didnt attempt to use his PA speaker to give clear instructions to the driver that he should stop.
How much indipendent thinking does it take for an officer to realize that its time to convert a felony stop into a regular citation and put away the sidearm because its all a big misunderstanding?
He has an excellent case. Firstly not realising he was being pursued as there were change in flashing lights before or after he had passed the police beguile. Secondly, styling a safe place to pull over on an unlit road.
The police reaction (addressing the son for not immediately walking backwards on command at gunpoint) and arresting an entire family at gunpoint would be regarded as gross misconduct in any other Western nation.
Americans, you’re police are out of control.