Posted: 4/16/2008 8:32:30 PM EDT
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So I bug bombed my house today, and since it was a freaking beautiful night out and the stars were really bright, I took the girlfriend down this deserted road with the telescope and we spent a while checking them out. The road is about half a mile long, and ends in a big gravel circle with a no outlet sign. No one lives on the road. We were parked in the gravel off to the side. No one else was there, we were not drinking or doing anything remotely crude. So at anyrate, after about 40 minutes or so, a car pulls up with its headlights off. But I could hear the gravel crunch and could see the two yellow lights on the grill so I go to walk over to see what they want and it turns out it's a cop. He basically tells me to stop walking up to him. He gets out and wants to search the car. I explain to him what we're doing, he picks up my telescope, places it in the back of my SUV and tells me to get out of there. I asked him if we were breaking a law, and he said yes and that if I don't listen to him I'll be looking at stars from a cell. While I'm sure the last bit is BS, is it honestly against the law to do this? I know, punk kids do drugs and drink, but I'm no where near that age. And if you honestly aren't allowed to do this, just where the hell do you? Does one have to spend 200k on a farm to get to look at the stars without city light interference? |
Well I know for a fact no one lives on the road, and the only people who even might have called were a couple of kids that drove up prior and immediately left. Unless they were being vindictive that somebody "stole" their spot. But the area we were in definitely wasn't private property. I guess maybe because it technically is a street (albeit it a deserted country road that leads no no where) that you can't legally park there. |
if you are not obstrusting traffic or trespassing I don't see where the intent of the law coudld find a problem |
I did consent to the search, and he checked my girlfriend's ID but never asked for mine. |
That is about all I can think of as well. Any homes within sight of where you were? |
Thats really odd..... Had I made the contact I probably would have asked you what you were doing? If your answer and manerisims didn't raise any flags I would tell you to have a nice night and perhaps ask about some stars or take a look through the scope... The fact that he asked for G/F's ID and not yours is weird Physicaly taking your scope and placing it in your POV is weird |
Not as far as the eye can see. I used to go out there and camp when I was a kid. It's possible in later years the area has been used for some less than good activities. But it just irks me that I could get into trouble for doing something that doesn't hinder anyone what-so-ever. |
I suspect the poster up top was right. It must have somehow been trespassing. Im kinda sad about it though, because it really was an awesome spot. Had a perfect view of the sun rise. |
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I am willing to be no one called and the reason he drove up without headlights is that he has caught people doing stupid things there before. It is probably something he checks periodically. I had a few places like that when I worked full time civilian LE and also on various bases. I once found two teenage boys(dependents) in a car together in one of the favorite make out spots at Davis-Monthan AFB. Didn't catch them in the act, but not much was left to the imagination. |
why would you consent to a search? |
  
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Because I was hoping he'd let me stay. I kinda got the vibe that if he knew we weren't doing anything he'd let us stay. Alas he did not. |
I would have myself unless there had been complaints of trespassing in the past at that location. I can't think of anything more harmless than getting a little stargazing in. |
Shhhh! 
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I'm not as angry about it as I was before. I'll admit, I was swearing quite a bit on the ride back home. |
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Sounds like a jerk of a cop who suspected that you were trespassing. You may have some nosy busybody type who called it in, too. I've gotten more police attention taking a walk at 3 AM than I ever did stargazing with binoculars at the same hour - and it was always nosy neighbor types who were at the root of the problem. Checking the girlfriend's ID and not yours is extremely odd. So is packing up your telescope for you. In my experience, a cop will usually just ask "What are you doing ?". Then you tell him, and he'll either say "Ok, be safe" or "Ok, go home". |
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Was he in uniform? Yellow lights in the grill?  Most LE cruisers have blue lights (at least in my area of GA)Checked gf's id but not yours? Sounds like a PC (pussy check) stop.And moving your telescope? Has ghey written all over it (wanted to touch your long hard cylinder object)
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She's 23, but looks questionably younger. So I can understand that part. |
This was definitely a cop. And when I left his car was clearly marked. edit: I think I wasn't descriptive enough. These were little yellow lights by the head lights, not on the light bar. |
Ok. Parking lights, not grill lights. Checking gf's id, not yours, leads me to believe that it was a PC stop. |
Hell, I'd respect him if he came out and said "I'm going to sleep here until 2am, come back then"
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