Yes, you read that right: a DUI for driving while taking in some caffeine. Apparently, most of the United States population should be in jail. (RELATED: See more news about completely stupid but true events at Stupid.news)
During 2015, Joseph Schwab was pulled over for "erratic driving" in Fairfield, California. A statement from the Solano County District Attorney's Office reveals that the responding officer was suspicious due to Schwab's "erratic and reckless driving," his "demeanor" and his "performance on a number of field sobriety tests."
Given these concerns, the officer felt justified in slapping Schwab with a DUI -- a charge that remained even after a blood sample came back negative for drugs, including cocaine, THC or opiates.
How could someone still be charged with a DUI when testing shows there are no drugs present? Well, according to the DEA, their reasoning is because drug tests don't necessarily detect all drugs, and because the officer involved insisted it seemed like Schwab must have been under the influence of something.
Fortunately for Schwab, this so-called reasoning was entirely unacceptable to his attorney -- who even told CNN affiliate KCRA that she "couldn't believe the charge."
"I actually consulted with the other attorneys in my office to make sure that I wasn't missing something," she commented.
Thirty-eight year old Schwab was left to fight the charge for more than a year.
During the last days of 2016, the DA's office finally announced that they would be dismissing the charges, albeit rather begrudgingly. According to them, their forensic lab experts said that it was "highly likely the defendant was under the influence of a drug," even if there was no way for them to prove it.
“After further consideration, without a confirmatory test of the specific drug in the defendant’s system that impaired his ability to drive, we do not believe we can prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt,” bemoans the county press release.
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, notes that even allowing such a charge to enter the justice system sets a dangerous precedent for the future. Will officers be able to continue whimsically pulling people over at will, and then charge them with DUIs even if drugs are absent from their systems? It's already happened, and it's probably only going to get worse. This time, the charges were dropped, but rest assured -- they won't be next time. (RELATED: See more news about resisting police state tyranny at RESIST.news)
As Adams' notes, the powers that be are far more interested in prosecuting you than they are in protecting your freedom. You're guilty in the eyes of the law, even if you're innocent. Why? Because they said you were, apparently. And as long as someone with enough power believes it to be true, your own truth will be ignored.
Easily one of the biggest question marks about all of this is that no other evidence has been indicated, outside of the officer's testimony. If that is all it takes to charge someone with a crime these days, we're in for a world of hurt. When blood testing -- which is perhaps the pinnacle of evidence in the justice system -- is ignored in favor of testimony, it is time to question who these people are really trying to help.
As Adams notes, "What’s the point of blood tests when California bureaucrats have already decided you’re guilty even before the test results come back?"
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