Storm Chaser arrested for impersonating a peace officer

[joel ewing]

Same guy also assaulted another chaser earlier this year, (or maybe late last year, can't remember). Hopefully he stays in jail for a while and learns his lesson.

What was the assault charge for? Was it a fist-fight? Do you have any idea what the beef was?

 

[joel ewing]

That is my county and my local paper. I called the jail to see if he's still there. No, he's gone. I figured if he was still there, and I could talk to him, and a friend or family member was willing to immediatey transfer funds to my account to post bail I would be willing to get him out of there. He may be an idiot but I believed it to be the least I could do for another "chaser".

So very cool of you, Bob, and knowing / chasing / hanging out with you over the years and knowing you a little bit like I do....I'm not surprised you approached this situation with the upbeat attitude you did. Looking to extend HELP to a fellow chaser that's painted him or herself into a corner.....THAT'S THE SPIRIT I would love to see take hold and grow amongst fellow chasers. Lately there's been far too much dark and venomous "I'm reporting him to law enforcement", or, "I'll report him to his employer", or "I'm gonna report this to his sponsors" ......etc. etc. is just disgusting...it's petty beyond belief....and needs to be checked. It sure seems to me that some people sure want to try and control everybody else. Sighhhhh.

 

[rdale]

there's been far too much dark and venomous "I'm reporting him to law enforcement", or, "I'll report him to his employer", or "I'm gonna report this to his sponsors" ......etc. etc. is just disgusting...it's petty beyond belief....and needs to be checked. It sure seems to me that some people sure want to try and control everybody else. Sighhhhh.

You're trolling, right? Suggesting that chasers blatantly and dangerously violating the laws of this land should be allowed to do so as part of some "chaser code" is just silly. Ask a frat at Penn State how keeping quiet about doing something illegal worked for them...

 

[Brad Dormer]

What was the assault charge for? Was it a fist-fight? Do you have any idea what the beef was?

I don't remember it completely, but I think there's still a post on Facebook about what the beef was, I'll get the full story for you when I have access to FB, yes, it was a fist fight, and I'm not sure if the guy that was attacked filed charges or not, but I'd assume he did.

 

[Austin Davis]

I have red and blues on my Jeep, only because I can.

Even had a county deputy say "man, your lights suck!".

I cannot legally drive with them on however!

 

[Colton Bowman]

I have amber interior light bars in both my front and back windows. As well has antennas and an anemometer on the roof. Even then an unmarked vehicle with these things can easily look like a Police Impersonator to the general public. To combat this, I do have my vehicle marked with "Storm Chaser." I have a back round in emergency services, and understand that light bars must be used conservatively. Having to many or bright lights can be a hazard to both you, and other drivers. All due to the "Moth Effect." There must be a justifiable reason to have your lights on. Things such as Emergencies, Low visibility (Not on while driving), when you're out of the car on a busy roadway, etc. I live in Colorado and chase anything from Severe T-storms; to Blizzards and Fires. Most of the time my use of lights were rolling up on fresh crash scenes. Given that I carry lots of medical gear, and when people are hurt the chase stops for me. I agree that some go overboard just to show off, and it gets pretty ridiculous.

 

[Seth Price]

I have an old police car with several amateur radio antennas, but no light bars. No issues, been chasing/driving it for the last several years. I did get pulled over with an "out of state" speeding ticket as I crossed into OH from IN one time. There was an officer standing on the side of the road waving down everyone without a front license plate and giving them "15 over from our aerial unit" tickets.

 

[Ethan Lang]

Personally I hate to hear about people like this, anymore it seems like storm chasers have enough trouble with the general public and having idiots like this guy doesn't help. I personally do not run a light bar on my vehicle. The only time i have been identified as a storm chaser was when i got pulled over for speeding and the officer asked about my laptop which was in its mount displaying my radar.

 

[Tony Zamberlin]

I

Ugh, someone beat me to posting this... Anyways, in my humble opinion, I find chasing with light bars to be pointless, and annoying. Some of them are extremely bright and can actually make it HARDER to see the road for some people. I'm sure some of you that use light bars have good reason for doing so, and use them properly and without blinding people. I guess I'm ok with that. But, some of the stuff I see out there chasing is just rediculous and feels like it's all for the "look at me" factor... I personally got a good laugh from this story...

I agree. They are more distracting than anything in my experience. Especially people who use 4 way flashers while driving down the road. Personally if I'm parked in the side of the road I use them. Otherwise I don't.

 

[James Wicker]

I was once scolded by a county sheriff for being parked well off of the highway shoulder running my hazards. He pulled in behind me to see if I needed assistance and when I told him no, he suggested that I run ambers so that I don't waste their time. I'm a radio operator and our RACES groups don't discourage them but rather they ask that we not drive while running ambers (DUH). I find it to be an added safety feature when parked in a driving storm storm with low visibility. I don't have them yet but plan to add (a few) flashers to the grill and rear bumper area. The safety far outweighs what another chasers opinion might be.