Man arrested for disorderly conduct after yelling at officer, sentenced to court costs for resisting arrest at first appearance
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Travis Lamont Hale, 43, was arrested Thursday morning after yelling at a police officer and resisting arrest after the officer asked him for his identification.
A Gainesville Police Department officer wrote that she was turning right in the 300 block of E. University Avenue when Hale almost ran into her patrol car. The pedestrian signal showed a red hand, indicating that pedestrians should not cross. The officer got out to speak with Hale, and she reported that he immediately began saying very loudly that she almost hit him. She explained that he didn’t have the right of way because of the signal, but he continued yelling and refused to provide identification. She wrote that after a crowd formed because of his yelling, she told him he was under arrest for disorderly conduct, but he reportedly stiffened up and resisted being placed in handcuffs. The officer wrote that her intention was to get his identification information so she could give him a pedestrian warning for not following the pedestrian signal.
Hale has six felony convictions, three for violent crimes. He was charged with violating a county ordinance for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, but the judge at his first appearance determined there was no probable cause for the disorderly conduct charge. Hale entered a plea of nolo contendere to the charge of resisting arrest at first appearance and was fined $276 in court costs.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Looking for that payday instead of watching the idiot lights indicating “walk.”
That’s what many do in Gainesville, they think they have the “right of way” all day, everyday.
He looks ripe for our new Haitian prisons coming soon. Can get stoned and imagine voodoo persecution day and night there — but supervised (unlike here).
You’re one stupid mf
Good proactive police work…the vagrant bum by the church & city hall is nasty too…the bum got belligerent with me when I told him to go to Grace mkt for help.
Sounds like the officer was probably making a no stop on red red right turn, and some of those hand signals never turn from red. As usual, the cop was driving in a manner for which the cop would have given anyone else a ticket. By the way I am a big supporter of law enforcement, however they never seem to obey the traffic rules they enforce.
The cop was wrong. She is liable for a lawsuit for false arrest. Florida’s disorderly conduct statute is limited to so-called “fighting words” or “words like shouts of ‘fire’ in a crowded theater.” People can curse and scream at cops if they want to.