Thread: Pedestrian thrown in jail for 12 hours for holding up sign warning drivers about police speed trap

A woman in Houston, Texas, was arrested and jailed for 12 hours after she held up a make-shift sign to warn drivers about a speed trap.

Natalie Plummer was officially charged with walking in the roadway -- jaywalking, essentially -- though she says the police officers who arrested her were just angry that she had tipped off speeders.

Miss Plummer was riding her bicycle along a road near downtown Houston on Thursday when she spotted police officers pulling drivers over.

She told KTRK that it looked like the officers were targeting cars at random, so she recorded some the activity on her cell phone.

Then, she said, she turned around and wrote 'Speed Trap!!' in large letters on a piece of grocery bag to warn oncoming traffic.

'I was simply warning citizens of a situation ahead,' she told the TV station.
The officers didn't see it that way. Shortly after she took up her post, a squad car pulled up to Miss Plummer and an officer grabbed her backpack off her shoulder and began rifling through it.

Then, he handcuffed her and told her she was under arrested for felony obstruction of justice and that she would spent three to five years in jail, at minimum.
She ended up being charged with misdemeanor 'walking in the road where a sidewalk is present,' through she was in jail 12 hours before she was able to bail out.

Miss Plummer said she wasn't obstructing justice, and she wasn't in the roadway, either -- she was on the sidwalk.

'He couldn't take me to jail for holding up this sign or he would have. So all he could do was make up something fake about it,' she said.

The Houston Police Department wouldn't speak on camera about the arrest, but stood by the officer's report that she was walking in the road and a danger to herself and others.

A KTRK legal analyst says Miss Plummer should not have been arrested.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=8715511
Natalie Plummer arrested for holding sign warning drivers about police speed trap | Mail Online

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I hope she gets a good lawyer and sues them!

Bet she doesn't even know what a speed trap is. Where I live a residential area the speed limit is 30 and people are do 40-50 so I have no sympathy for the speeders. Unless speed limit change down to a low speed in an odd place or the sign is hidden don't speed you won't get a ticket.

nobody likes a tattletale

the speed limit is the speed limit, plain and simple. if you choose to cruise on down the road above the posted speed limit (most likely texting or engaged in some other questionable activity) then you should get a ticket.

I bet she would feel pretty bad if one of those warned people hit a little kid running out into the road because they were continuing to speed after they got by the officers enforcing the post speed limit.

Wow!! 12 hours? she really had nothing to do that day still she did a good thing

I certainly never hope she ever gets hit by a "speeder" one day while out riding her bike on the side of the road....

the police were out there doing their best to "protect and serve" everyone, including her. it was purely a public service endeavor. most likely after those in that particular neighbor hood had been complaining to the police about the amount of reckless driving that occurred amongst their kids.

no one ever appreciates anyone trying to undermine or disrupt their job, especially law enforcement. maybe the police over reacted, possibly a bit flustered, who knows. 12 hours in lock up is a bit excessive. maybe next time the officers will over look her illegally parked bicycle again....

well her doing the sign is the same as the police doing tests as it reduces speed! only difference is no1 gets a ticket and she goes jail for it!