Miami-Dade County School Police Goon Squad arrested Jeff Weinsier today for not getting off a public sidewalk outside Miami Central high school. That's when they discovered he was carrying a loaded .357 magnum revolver. His camera man, who captured the whole incident (click here), reported Jeff started carrying a gun when he began getting death threats from people who were unhappy with his continuing series on restaurants that have failed their health inspections.
It says a lot about this town when reporters have to carry guns when working their beat. It also makes you think twice before complaining about a meal at a local restaurant. One thing is for sure, Miami is never boring and for bloggers in-tune with the scene, there is never a lack of material for inspiration.
From our point-of-view, it looks like WPLG has all the reasons needed to file a winning lawsuit against the Miami-Dade County Schools. Good luck, Jeff!
UpDate (10/24): Weinsier bonded out later that night. Today's 6PM newscast was quite thorough in laying out the facts, some of which were contradictory-- WPLG says the Miami-Dade County Schools gave their reporter permission after a clarifying phone call minutes before the arrest. Today, they deny giving permission for Weinsier and his camera man to report from the sidewalk in front of the school. The station also made it known that its parent company frowns on its reporters doing their jobs while packing heat. Since Jeff didn't tell corporate he was legally carrying a concealed weapon, his goose may be cooked. Hopefully not. The guy's in-your-face reporting style is one of the things that makes Channel 10 News worth watching.
UpDate (11/13): All charges are dropped against Weinsier by the State Attorney's Office because it couldn't find any law he had broken. By the way Weinsier described to his colleague Rad Berkey how he was handcuffed for hours while kept in the backseat of a police cruiser and in jail, don't be surprised to see a lawsuit against the Miami-Dade County Schools in the near future. And rightly so.
UpDate (1/9/08): Weinsier files suit against Miami-Dade County Schools and the school cops that arrested him.
1 comment:
aren't those police officers supposed to go thru school, er, basic training at an academy? they must have failed with an F. They were polite though, just very ignorant of the law.
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