Lorain County, Ohio – The State of Ohio passed a law back in 2012 that if you decide to alter your vehicle that is your private property by adding any compartments or sectioned off parts that might be used to hide drugs then you’ll be arrested, your vehicle seized, and issued a felony. 30 year-old Norman Gurley, is looking at drug charges even though after his car was searched thoroughly by state troopers no drugs were found.
Unfortunately Mr. Gurley is the first person to be locked up under this draconian law. After he was pulled over for travelling over the speed limit, troopers saw a few wires and traced them to the rear of the vehicle. There they found the ‘illegal’ hidden compartment in the gentleman’s car. Spotting ‘wires’ in your car can now be probable cause for a search? Speakers need wires to function.
This communist law that is aimed at people who alter the inside of their vehicles to possibly store drugs or weapons that sometimes can only be opened electronically. Without finding any drugs or weapons in those compartments they arrested Gurley for operating his car with unlawful possession of empty spaces, because in Ohio, just having a “trap” car is now punishable with a felony. The troopers will claim civil asset forfeiture and keep his car for themselves while keeping their exemption from the law.
Ohio State Trooper Lt. Combs said “Without the hidden compartment law, we would not have had any charges on the suspect.” So because of this law, we take one more “trap car” off our Northeast Ohio roads. He continued “We apparently caught them between runs, so to speak, so this takes away one tool they have in their illegal trade. The law does help us and is on our side.” And of course the police are exempt from the law: Section (G) This does not apply to any law enforcement officer acting in the performance of the law enforcement officer’s duties. The Statist news station just laps it up like a thirsty dog and fails to even challenge anything about the unjust, unconstitutional, and victimless crime that this guy is being hauled away for. Why should it be acceptable for the government to tell us what we can and can’t do with our own property as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone? Our right to choose what we do with our bodies is similar. We do not want the government making laws about every characteristic of our health or consensual adult intimacy.
The vagueness of the law states that it’s only illegal if the compartment is created with the “intent” to hide drugs. It also prohibits anyone who has a drug trafficking conviction from operating any vehicle with unseen compartments. So, without any definitive evidence, how are they going to prove the “INTENT” beyond a reasonable doubt?
The ACLU of Ohio argued against the recent legislation:
The ACLU of Ohio believes SB 305 is an unnecessary and unproductive expansion of law. Drug trafficking is already prohibited under Ohio law, so there is no use for shifting the focus to the container. Further by focusing on the container itself, the bill criminalizes a person with prior felony drug trafficking convictions simply for driving a car with a hidden compartment, regardless of whether or not drugs or even drug residue are present.
Since this is the 1st arrest, we’ll now get to witness how the courts will view this law that makes it a felony to alter their own property that they pay for. Similar to what has been said before the Judges and Prosecutors are paid with the revenue generated by their lower level co-workers who patrol the streets in search money to steal by issuing extortion slips and jailing the people they serve. Its rare to see judges over rule the law that is in essence Job Security. The failed Drug War is a miserable dark cloud over this country, destroying the lives of the imprisoned. The band-aid for the failure is to pile on the continuous stacks legislation to cage men and women for anything pertaining to drugs. This nation leads the world in the number of people in prison for victim-less drug offenses at about 50%. This is an obvious for profit scheme that has become an epidemic, sadly it will continue because the flow of money to the police state is a drug within itself and they can’t skip their next fix.
By Andre’ Gabriel Esparza – DontComply.com
6 Comments
Gene Willard
This is not the Soviet Union; this is the United States of America1
Ira Thurby-Wright
Statists, both legislators and law enforcement, revel in this new found expansion of power, but the most offensive part of the video clip is the congratulatory attitude of the news anchor as if a great thing was accomplished as yet another freedom or two was stolen from the people – the freedom to do what you want with your property and the freedom to be free from mere suspicion. Another hole in the coffin – Ohio, you should be ashamed, very ashamed.
Brutus Maximus
What happened to innocent until proven guilty. Just having a hidden compartment should not be a felony. This is an abuse of law. We have to make a law that requires law enforcement ask for permission to search your vehicle and make it a felony for police officers to search your vehicle with or without permission. What they need to do is find a way to enforce the 4th amendment. The drug war is an obvious failure.
Mike
This law is totally against the 4th amendment. Why can’t you have hidden compartments in your own car? Just like you do in your house, it is for safety and security of your valuables.
Mike tiffin
Sounds like bullshit to me, he’ll don’t pull a speaker out and leave a hole you’ll be in jail.
Angry Grizzly
The state would have to prove intent which is rather hard to do in some cases. I bet the “head penguins” in Ohio hear this case and perhaps the Federal “head penguins” as well.