Man Sentenced To 2 Years Of Probation, $1K Fine For Peaceful Facebook Post About Corrupt Cops
By William N. Grigg
ActivistPost.com
MARCH 2, 2016
Police accountability activist Matthew Townsend no longer faces a prison term over a Facebook post — but the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office may yet find a way to put him behind bars.
Roughly a year ago, as previously reported by The Free Thought Project, Townsend was charged with felony witness intimidation for a Facebook post in which he promised to wage a “non-violent and legal shame campaign” in the event a charge of resisting and obstructing was not dropped following a preliminary hearing on the following day. The March 18, 2015 Facebook post mentioned Corporal Richard Brockbank of the Meridian Police Department, the arresting officer, who had confronted Townsend while the latter was conducting a sidewalk protest in front of a tax preparation business.
Brockbank claimed that Townsend had been jaywalking, although his official incident report did not describe that offense. After a brief conversation in which the officer tried to browbeat Townsend into admitting to the offense, Townsend demanded that Brockbank either charge him or let him go. When Brockbank refused to respond, Townsend shrugged and walked away, as was his legal right. Without legal cause or justification, Brockbank arrested Townsend for “resisting and obstructing.”
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