A Florida cop planted meth on random drivers, police say. One lost custody of his daughter.

[mia]

What evil motivates this type of criminal law enforcement officer. Could something like this happen to any of us?

The meth seemed to appear out of thin air.

Benjamin Bowling couldn’t figure it out. He had been clean ever since his release from prison on a DUI conviction, but now a Jackson County, Fla., sheriff’s deputy was accusing him of possessing a minuscule amount of methamphetamine.

It was October 2017 and Bowling was on his way to the store to pick up diapers with his friend Shelly Smith when they saw the flashing lights swirl in the rearview mirror. He had been out of prison for less than a year, doing everything he could to get his life back on track. He passed all his drug tests. He had recently been awarded custody of his daughter. But deputy Zachary Wester was escalating a traffic stop for swerving over a white line into a search for illicit drugs.

Bowling and Smith, confident they had nothing to hide, told Wester to go ahead and search the car after he claimed to smell marijuana, assuring him he wouldn’t find any....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/07/11/florida-cop-meth-drugs-arrests-scandal/?utm_term=.a7db5e17d5c5

[beachbum bob]

1. sounds like another big civil awards will be happening and the bad cops get to go on being bad

[madaboutharry]

2. This particular cop was fired, arrested, and faces up

to 30 years in prison. So at least this one will pay for his crimes.

[beachbum bob]

4. like this , no way he operated in a vaccuum with out others knowing and what makes cops so

untrustworthy...the so called "good cops" are just as bad as the bad cops for the very reason they keep their mouths shut.

[spike jones]

12. The blue wall of silence makes every cop a criminal.

[Salviati]

21. When people call cops like this bad apples...

... they have no idea how right they are, they're just forgetting the other half of that saying...

A few bad apples spoil the bushel. Every cop that protects bad cops like this is complicit in the crimes they commit.

[hatrack]

5. The exception that proves the rule . .

.

[atreides1]

3. And the taxpayers foot the bill

That's why I believe that the police unions should be required to pay half of any civil awards.

[erronis]

10. Not a bad idea. How about officers having to post surety bonds

that they are responsible for paying off if they are convicted. Something that will live with them the rest of their "employable" years.

Of course some may think this is a way to bust unions but in this particular case, it may be a good thing.

[58Sunliner]

6. Never, ever, allow a cop to search anything willingly. Exit the vehicle only if he insists.

When a cop pulls you over, keep your window down only as necessary to communicate to the cop. If you get out of the car, roll up the window as you get out out and lock the door, putting keys in your pocket. Bad cops will mess with anyone.

[Baitball Blogger]

7. He wanted to break up families.

He is going to sleep in jail, with one eye open.

[Stryst]

22. Likely to get special population segregation.

He'll be spending the time with his former cop buddies and pedophiles.

[liberalmuse]

8. Most cops are not good people.

Something about those who want power with gun and a badge, and then end up with zero accountability makes a dangerous human. I am an older, law abiding woman and my second hand encounters with law enforcement have left me disgusted. I’ve seen cops be abusive towards people who in no way deserved it. I’ve watched them harass those who have a different color of skin, clothing or hairstyle. We need to get rid of our police state and learn how to solve minor disputes so we only need fully accountable law enforcement for the most serious crimes. Stop the drug busts and minor traffic stops. I could go on and on.

I hope people know to never, ever let a cop in your house or car without a warrant. Ever. A neighbor couldn’t find their kid and was convinced he was at my sisters, even though my sister hadn’t seen him, so she called the cops. My sister let them in to look after they harassed her and they were abusive assholes towards her even though she did absolutely nothing wrong. She’s lucky they didn’t shoot her. There are too many angry man babies with guns in this country and we’ve put them in vital positions and are suffering for it.

[Oppaloopa]

17. True

[Stuart G]

9. Zachary Webster was thinking exactly what Epstein and Donald Trump were/are thinking. One

thought only: "I am absolutely sure that I will never be caught." For a cop to do this, he must think that thought. In other words, I will get away with this, and never be caught. Epstein was thinking the exact same thing. He had set up an incredible cover up plan. And I believe that Trump still thinks it, on some days: "There is no way I will face consequences for what I have done"

... Trump's former lawyer is in prison, and others who worked for him are also in prison. So, maybe on some days he does not think this. But Trump's actions speak louder than any words. He is like this cop on those days, absolutely sure he will not face the ultimate consequence: prison.

[LisaL]

14. Well the cop made a mistake.

Left the camera on in one case.

[DENVERPOPS]

18. I love the stories

I love the stories we see occasionally in the news about Cops who screw with the wrong person.....

Be careful who you take on, you never know who that person may be, and what kind of power they can can wield against your Bad Cop ASS........

I particularly liked the video of the cop in Florida? that pulled over the black woman for "DWB" and crapped his pants when he asked her what she did for a living or something like that...... I particularly REALLY REALLY loved the look on his face when she asked him for his and his partners business cards.......OH, it was priceless.......She was something like the Head Prosecutor for the State Attorney Generals Office......LOL

[DENVERPOPS]

19. Trump and Republicans

Trump and his Republicans have opened Pandora's Box by empowering all his asshole followers nationwide to come out of the shadows and go full force acting out their sick, dark, sexist, racist true personalities. At the top of the list are the huge quantity RACIST cops who were constrained until Trump. Just look at all the continuous stories/videos of police officers and the large quantity of HUGE settlements paid out by the cities that employ them for their un-lawful physical actions. Most of these sick f***head bully racist cops never lose their jobs, never pay anything out of their own pockets and un-believeably leave the tax payers on the hook for the penalties.

[bitterross]

11. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER Consent to a search. NEVER. Once you do you're done.

Never consent to a search. Especially if they're already making up BS about "smelling marijuana" or something else you know you're not doing. Sure, they may hold you and get a dog and do it anyway. Let them. You can challenge that in court. If you consent to a search, you have no grounds for a challenge to anything they "find."

We no longer live in a time when you can assume the police are the "good guys."

[NightWatcher]

16. If they're asking, they don't have probable cause. If they have PC, they don't ask.

If they ask, they're fishing to see what you'll admit to or open yourself up for.

Shut up. Be polite. Refuse to give consent. Don't argue with the cop on the scene, you will lose that argument every time.

[Hotler]

26. And NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, talk to a cop without any attorney present.

A cops job is to use anything and everything you say against you. What you say to a cop will never be used to help your case. Asking for help in an emergency is different, but still say as little as possible and remember they are recording you.

And hey!
Be safe out there.

[bitterross]

30. Great point! They will try to get you to talk.

They will ask you why you don't want to answer questions. They will try to be conversational with you and an attempt to get you going.

SILENCE is not a bad thing. Be polite. But don't say anything more than you must. You can keep repeating the comment you do not want to answer any questions (ANY - including simple stuff that seems okay - like where you live and work) without your lawyer present. Then ask them if you are under arrest? If they say no, then ask if you are free to leave? They should say yes. You cannot be held without being arrested or charged.

[mia]

27. Thanks for the advice.

I never imagined that this could happen. Routine traffic stops will never be the same.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

13. FTP.

[KG]

15. "You Have the Right to Remain Innocent"

[mia]

31. Thank you!

Lots of good information in this video.

[ScratchCat]

20. FWIW

The officer probably thought he could "get away with it" because he is related to a long time high ranking officer in the JCSO.

This is in my area, and since this came up about a year ago, I have had one question: How did he know the person he was going to plant drugs on was someone who the courts would believe was possessing drugs? Clearly, he tried to set up the wrong person and got caught, but was he going back to his car and running their license to see if they had a criminal record first? That's my only thought - he was framing people who already had criminal records thus there would be less of a question as to their innocence.

[Demovictory9]

23. ugly. bury that guy under the jail

[Demovictory9]

24. mugshot

https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3cd21bb/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x563+0+0/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fewscripps.brightspotcdn.com%2F9a%2F8c%2Ffe3b74184f73a2d5c019d01ce44d%2Fzachary-wester.png

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/state/florida-deputy-accused-of-planting-drugs-in-traffic-stops

[Stuart G]

25. Florida prisons are not what this fellow is used to.

26 Years Old, and very stupid. And, he will have some time to learn some ideas. Perhaps plenty of time. More time than he could ever imagine...

[Demovictory9]

28. no sympathy. He sent many innocent people to jail

[Stuart G]

29. I am with you, no sympathy at all. May he rot in hell. (last rung)