And that fate is a lawsuit from the ACLU. Now let’s put my penchant for alliteration aside and get into what happened.
First, let’s set the scene: a music festival in Adams County, Iowa called “The Lazy Days and Battle of the BBQ.” Sounds awesome.
A deputy pulled over a car and then conducted a drug sniffing dog check. The K9 alerted, and everyone in the car was arrested, even though the deputy ultimately did not find any drugs in the car.
Observing this was man named John Goldsmith. He did not like what he saw, no Sir!
So he took to Facebook to express his displeasure. He posted about the incident, and called out the deputy by name. He said the deputy was “butthurt” about not finding any drugs and was also a “stupid sum bitch.” Furthermore, he offered the deputy employment cleaning up Goldsmith’s dog should the deputy ever lose his job. Or, more accurately, he said that deputy could “walk his dog and pick up his S***.”
So the Sheriff’s office filed harassment charges against Goldsmith. They said the Facebook post was a “threatening” communication.
You can probably see where this is headed. The charges were dismissed after Goldsmith’s attorney pointed out that the Facebook post was protected by the 1st Amendment.
Now the ACLU is suing on Goldsmith’s behalf to get damages for retaliation and false arrest.
This case reminds me of another situation in Michigan where cops arrested a guy for playing “F*** Tha Police at a gas station. That guy was acquitted by a jury.