# I don't see what this guy did wrong. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 7, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865 "2010-09-07T01:17:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/41 "2010-09-07T03:03:28Z")
Can anyone access the Tennessee public records page? It wasn’t working for me, I’m curious as to if this guy has been in trouble for anything else like this before. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/42 "2010-09-07T03:18:06Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > My comment about crime going up is based on my own part of the city. We’ve had several shootings in drug related cases in our area within the past year. Fortunately for the rest of us, your personal situation is not reflective of the country as a whole. So pardon me if I don’t let this dude off the hook just because your neighborhood has become more dangerous. eta: unless you live in this town? Did I miss that? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/43 "2010-09-07T03:21:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Nine counts of aggravated assault, and nine counts of false imprisonment. If that jurisdiction is anything like mine, false imprisonment is an actionable tort. So, in addition to any criminal charges, this guy could have opened himself up to a civil action from any or all of the kids too. Needless to say, another vote for “leave the firearm alone, call the police on their non-emergency line, and let them sort it out.” ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/44 "2010-09-07T03:23:24Z")
My friends and I spent a lot of time at cemeteries at night. We weren’t goth, or vandals, drinking or using drugs - we just liked walking around a spooky place telling ghost stories. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/45 "2010-09-07T03:45:33Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Looks like I’m in the minority on this one. Thirty years ago I would have agreed with you. > We live in a different world today. There’s so much more crime. You have to be suspicious of almost everything. This is complete bullshit. I HATE this whole, “oh, everything is SO much worse nowadays!” People have been saying this for centuries – eons, really. It was bullshit then, and it’s bullshit now. The very idea that what this man did was remotely appropriate is absolutely disgusting. “Citizen’s arrest” – it sounds more like a hostage situation, almost. Think about it from their point of view: -You’re walking through the cemetary late at night, minding your own business, NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG -Then some guy comes along, with a fucking assault rifle, who FIRES OFF A SHOT, then blocks you in with his car, and refuses to let you leave, holding you at gunpoint. I’d be scared shitless at that point. How do I know he’s not some random nutjob? (Note – I’m not some anti-gun idiot. I have no problem with guns. Just stupid people with guns – like the guy here) And comparing this situation to someone stopping a burglary is absolutely sick. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/46 "2010-09-07T04:02:13Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > So…He found some teens wandering around in a cemetery minding their own business At night they had no business being there. > [@](#): > > If he was really concerned he needed to get their license plate number and call the police. That I agree with. > [@Chimera](#): > > The charges are entirely appropriate. He has no evidence of a crime and has absolutely NO FUCKING BUSINESS discharging his firearm as a threat against them. > > Hell, when I was a teen we used to get high and go visit cemetaries late at night on occasion. We were never vandals, we were just out having a good time. That does not change the fact that you had EXACTLY as much business there as you say this guy had to detain and threaten the trespassers. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/47 "2010-09-07T04:04:15Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Think about it from their point of view: > -You’re walking through the cemetary late at night, minding your own business, NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG Their point of view is WRONG. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/48 "2010-09-07T04:11:51Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > > [@Joey\_P](#): > > > > So…He found some teens wandering around in a cemetery minding their own business > > At night they had no business being there. What are the hours of the cemetery? If it’s open to the public 24 hours a day, then they had every right to be there provided they weren’t breaking a local curfew. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/49 "2010-09-07T04:13:34Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Can anyone access the Tennessee public records page? It wasn’t working for me, I’m curious as to if this guy has been in trouble for anything else like this before. I just saw that this bozo is from TN. Good Lord. Between the Mosque protests in Murfreesboro, Our Forest Gump candidate for Governor, and this guy , we’re getting way too much bad national press. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/50 "2010-09-07T04:17:48Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > > [@Guinastasia](#): > > > > Think about it from their point of view: > > -You’re walking through the cemetary late at night, minding your own business, NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG > > Their point of view is WRONG. I don’t see how. If it’s open to the public at night they have every right to be there even if they’re just hangin’ Why do they have to have a reason you or someone else approves of? ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/51 "2010-09-07T04:29:19Z")
Here’s the place in question ([google maps](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Shipley+Hollow+Road,+Sale+Creek,+TN,+United+States&sll=35.390608,-85.107344&sspn=0.003455,0.008256&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Shipley+Hollow+Rd,+Sale+Creek,+Hamilton,+Tennessee+37373&ll=35.401749,-85.081515&spn=0.012418,0.082397&z=15&layer=c&cbll=35.40192,-85.081499&panoid=gxNwtvn2W9uuoKeN1Xl6xQ&cbp=12,356.27,,0,8.8)). We’re not talking about gates and walls here people. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/52 "2010-09-07T04:50:23Z")
Even if the teenagers were vandalizing the cemerary, it’s still just a property crime. Nobody was in any danger of serious harm until that loon showed up with a gun. aceplace57, do you really think people should be killed for stealing? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/53 "2010-09-07T07:00:18Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Even if the teenagers were vandalizing the cemerary, it’s still just a property crime. Nobody was in any danger of serious harm until that loon showed up with a gun. > > aceplace57, do you really think people should be killed for stealing? Okay, this isn’t directed at you specifically, but still–people, READ THE THREAD. The guy already admitted that the rifle thing was stupid, but that he doesn’t see a problem with obstructing the exit And responding directly to you: shooting a warning shot != killing people. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/54 "2010-09-07T08:32:05Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Even if the teenagers were vandalizing the cemerary, it’s still just a property crime. Nobody was in any danger of serious harm until that loon showed up with a gun. > > aceplace57, do you really think people should be killed for stealing? Is trespass a criminal offence in the USA? In the UK it’s a strictly civil matter, and the police won’t get involved. However, as soon as any damage is caused it becomes criminal damage and the police can make arrests. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/55 "2010-09-07T08:53:36Z")
If I had driven past there and seen a grown man pointing a gun at a bunch of kids, and if I were armed myself, I probably would have shot him. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/56 "2010-09-07T09:07:37Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > If I had driven past there and seen a grown man pointing a gun at a bunch of kids, and if I were armed myself, I probably would have shot him. This. Edit: Well, probably not. 😛 But still, I can’t believe anyone thinks that what this guy did was OK. Seriously? A bunch of kids “acting suspiciously”? They were either doing something wrong or they weren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/57 "2010-09-07T09:26:23Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > A private citizen catches a large group of teens outside a rural cemetery late at night. Suspicious, he detains them, and demands they wait until the cops arrive. > > Seems reasonable to me. Cemetery’s are sometimes vandalized. It is private property. No one should be there real late at night. Legitimate family visit graves in the daytime. > > Yes the guy had a gun. Apparently he fired a warning shot. This is a whole group of 16 to 19 year olds. What is he supposed to do? Spit at them? All he was doing was holding them until the police could get there. Now he’s facing nine counts each of aggravated assault and false imprisonment. > > I don’t get it. If he had been an off duty cop would he handle it any differently? Nine teens coming out of a cemetery late at night. Wouldn’t he detain them until backup arrived? > > I think it’s reasonable that the teens needed to answer a few basic questions. I’ve been stopped by cops when I was much younger, late at night. Why are you here? What’s going on? There’s no harm in that. > > the story > [Tennessee high school teacher arrested after teens say he held them at gunpoint at cemetery | Fox News](http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09/06/tennessee-high-school-teacher-arrested-teens-say-held-gunpoint-cemetery/?test=latestnews) **aceplace57** hows about you just stay _right_ where you are while I threaten you with violence with a deadly weapon up to and including firing it till the cops get to you. Hanging around on the internet at night. Seems reasonable to me. The internet’s sometimes used for viewing kiddy porn and finding terrorist bomb making recipes. No one should be on here late at night. At the least I think it’s reasonable that you need to stay where you are till you’ve answered a few basic questions. Why are you here? What’s going on? There’s no harm in that. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/58 "2010-09-07T09:49:44Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > My friends and I spent a lot of time at cemeteries at night. We weren’t goth, or vandals, drinking or using drugs - we just liked walking around a spooky place telling ghost stories. Vikings then? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/59 "2010-09-07T10:49:51Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > **aceplace57** hows about you just stay _right_ where you are while I threaten you with violence with a deadly weapon up to and including firing it till the cops get to you. Please read the full thread. The OP has already backed away from that position and re-assessed the whole case. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/60 "2010-09-07T11:58:23Z")
Go and look at the facts. The cemetery is a open type without walls or gates. It looks pretty old and unkempt as well from the image that **GH057** posted. If it is not secured, or marked private property with a posted trespassing sign then the kids had every right to be there so long as they were not damaging anything. They were not. They were ghost hunting; which is silly but harmless. The guy illegally detained them with no evidence of a crime with a firearm that he discharged. That is way beyond out of line. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865.md?page=4)