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CHP civil trial to resume Monday

Dan McDonald
Staff Writer
6/15/2012

A civil trial pitting a Quincy woman against the California Highway Patrol is scheduled to resume Monday morning, June 18.

The jury trial, at Plumas County Superior Court in Quincy, began Wednesday, June 13. It is expected to last until at least Tuesday, June 19.

Ruth Jackson’s lawsuit stems from her Sept. 12, 2009, arrest and jailing by the CHP on charges of driving under the influence.

Jackson’s civil complaint against the CHP said she had a blood alcohol level of 0.00 and had no drugs in her system at the time of her arrest.

The jury selection process took place Tuesday, June 12. There are 10 women and three men hearing the case. Visiting Judge Thomas E. Warriner is presiding over the trial.

Jackson’s lawsuit names CHP Officers Lacey Heitman, Jim Wheaton and former Quincy Area Commander Paul Davis as defendants.

The civil complaint listed seven causes of action: “false arrest; false imprisonment; battery; intentional infliction of emotional distress; negligent hiring, training and supervision of officers; negligent infliction of emotional distress; and unlawful search and seizure.”

In the complaint, Jackson said she was pulled over after she exited an Oktoberfest event at the Blairsden Barn, where she was working as a volunteer.

The complaint indicated Jackson drove 150 feet to a stop sign and turned left onto Highway 70, before being pulled over less than half a mile later.

The brief said Jackson was told she failed to make a complete stop at the intersection, which she said was not the case.

The narrative said that the officers noticed bottles of alcohol in the trunk of Jackson’s car when she opened it to get her driver’s license out of her purse.

According to Jackson’s complaint, the officers ignored her explanations that she was volunteering at the event and was bringing the bottles home to be recycled.

The brief stated that a portable breathalyzer registered Jackson’s blood alcohol level at 0.00.

Jackson said she told the officers she hadn’t taken a prescription drug in more than 12 hours and had never used narcotics.

The complaint alleged the officers didn’t take into account that Jackson had had 12 foot surgeries when she had trouble with “fine balancing” during the field sobriety tests.

According to the narrative, Jackson was arrested at 10 p.m. and was never contacted by a certified drug recognition expert at any point during her encounter with the CHP.

The complaint said that after Jackson was taken to the CHP office in Quincy, her request to call her husband, local attorney Michael Jackson, was denied.

The court document said that Jackson was transported in handcuffs to the Plumas County Jail for blood testing, which detected no drugs.

According to the narrative, the test results arrived after Jackson spent a night in jail.

The complaint said that two days after the arrest, an unidentified CHP officer read a police blotter over the local radio station, identifying Jackson by her name, age and residence and asserting that she had been arrested for driving under the influence of Oxycontin.

After the radio broadcast, a press release by Jackson’s daughter Julia Jackson, who is also her attorney, said the radio report was “especially shocking because they named a specific drug, one widely associated with abuse, when no drug testing had been initiated and no drugs had been found in Mrs. Jackson’s car or on her person.”

The report indicated the district attorney declined to prosecute the case after receiving the evidence.

 

Comments  

 
-4#1RE: CHP civil trial to resume MondayCHP Hater2012-06-18 09:11
Surely there must be an update on the trial. Anyone heard any good ones from the stand? Have any CHP lied on the stand?
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+1#2CHP tell the truth?Me2012-06-18 10:54
Quoting CHP Hater:
Have any CHP lied on the stand?
oooohhhhhhhhhh we KNOW this wont happen!! they are sworn to oath to tell the truth!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!
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0#3RE: CHP civil trial to resume MondayRoger Jensen2012-06-18 11:22
I was looking through the Court TV schedule and didn't see anything listed. I was certain we would see something mentioned by Nancy Grace on her program.
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0#4RE: CHP civil trial to resume MondayRuth Neighbor2012-06-18 12:58
Is Ruth winning?
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+7#5RE: CHP civil trial to resume MondayLinda Blum2012-06-18 16:54
I've been attending the trial, and think there will be much to discuss in public AFTER the jury has deliberated. We need to be respectful of the process, and make it as easy as possible on the jurors to not inadvertently see or hear anything that might affect their verdict.
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+2#6RE: CHP civil trial to resume MondayRoger Jensen2012-06-18 17:10
Quoting Linda Blum:
I... think there will be much to discuss in public AFTER the jury has deliberated.



Thanks Linda! You said it all with your posting. We need to remain patient and allow the court system to work. This trial should be done fairly soon.
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+2#7RE: CHP civil trial to resume MondayCedarheaven2012-06-19 07:35
The Budget is still in session...Call/email Dan Logue the Assemblymen who is wanting to SLASH the CHP NE Division to NOTHING!
There are numorous complaints from other Plumas Co. Citizens.
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-1#8RE: CHP civil trial to resume MondayRuth Neighbor2012-06-19 15:39
I'm hearing good things about the trial. Looks like we will all be getting our town back out from martial law.
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