Virginia Man Arrested For Not Showing His Papers
A law enforcement officer believed to be Officer John L Hughson of Henrico County, Virginia
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A video posted to YouTube on Monday appears to show a man being unlawfully arrested for no reason other than remaining silent and not providing identification documents.
The video, uploaded by an account belonging to a man named Kyle Hammond, appears to show Hammond being approached, harassed by, and eventually arrested by a law enforcement agent with a name tag labeled “HUGHSON.” During the encounter, Hammond asks why he is being arrested and what he is being charged with, and the law enforcement agent responds, “Because you won’t talk to me, you won’t answer me, you won’t provide me with any ID.”
TruthVoice found salary records for Henrico County, Virginia — where the incident allegedly took place — that shows the county employs a John L. Hughson, ranked Police Officer 1st Class.
Video available below:
A report from police accountability blog Cops Caught On Tape provides an account of what transpired on the video:
Kyle Hammond, who was recording legally in public, was approached by Officer Hughson, Badge #0979, and requested his Identification. Kyle exercised his 5th Amendment right to remain silent, despite Officer Hughson’s repeated attempts. When Kyle refused to answer any questions, Officer Hughson radioed in for a supervisor. Within seconds, Officer Elliott (Badge #1283) arrived on scene, asking Officer Hughson if Kyle was ‘being detained’. You can clearly hear Officer Hughson state that Kyle was NOT being detained.
According to Cops Caught On Tape, Kyle Hammond says he has been charged with obstruction of justice, and has a trial scheduled for August 27. Contact information for some of the parties responsible for Hammond’s arrest are listed on their website, and shared below:
Henrico County Police Department:
http://henrico.us/police/
Chief’s Office: (804) 501-4839
Internal Affairs: (804) 501-4834
https://www.facebook.com/HenricoCountyPolice
Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney:
http://henrico.us/com-atty/
(804) 501-4218
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Re-Elect-Shannon-Taylor-for-Henrico-Commonwealths-Attorney/156184377795987
