Florida –-(Ammoland.com)- Well, I was wrong! I never thought the case against Sheriff Nick Finch would make it to trial, but that is exactly what is going to happen, tomorrow morning, October 29, 2013 at 0900. (Happy Halloween, nothing could be creepier!)
The charges against this good man have been so flimsy and frivolous that I was certain a trial would be out of the question.
A quick review of the incident tells of a Mr. Parrish being pulled over for a very minor traffic violation last March. The officer, a deputy employed by Sheriff Finch, did a pat-down search of Mr. Parrish and discovered a small pistol in his pocket. Parrish had no “permit” for such and the deputy arrested him for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Sheriff Finch was notified of the situation and he went to the Liberty County Jail that he manages. There, after looking over the entire incident, he released Mr. Parrish and canceled the arrest. This is fully within his power of discretion as sheriff. In the first place, Sheriff Finch disagreed with the probable cause used to justify the stop and disagreed with the pat down that led to Parrish’s arrest.
More importantly, Sheriff Finch nullified a wrong and stood for the Constitution which he is sworn to uphold. Faced with a choice between obeying a state statute or adhering to individual liberty, he chose liberty!
Following this incident, Sheriff Finch was investigated by the State of Florida and arrested for destroying official documents, a dubious accusation at best. Florida Governor Rick Scott took it upon himself to first suspend Sheriff Finch, then remove him from office and fill the vacancy by appointing a member of the very agency that investigated and arrested him! (In layman terms this is all called “the good ‘ol boy system”)!
So, Sheriff Finch has no job, no income, and is facing felony charges. The State has made it so Sheriff Finch has no money to provide for his family or pay for his lawyers. Finch has two special needs children and a very supportive wife. Yes, the State has already made a plea offer to Sheriff Finch and yes, you guessed it, if he promises to leave his position as Sheriff then all charges against him will be dropped. Of course, Sheriff Finch is fighting this absurd arrest and illegal action by the Governor all the way!
Sheriff Finch has never been a member of Oath Keepers or the CSPOA and we had never met prior to this incident. He is simply a man trying to do his job and standing for what’s right.
What Sheriff Finch did is exactly what we have been advocating for years: He interposed himself on behalf of a citizen. We hope that all local officials and sheriffs across America will do likewise!
But the tyrants are moving forward with their agenda to stop Sheriffs in their tracks and to make them answerable to the State! This case, this abuse of authority, and the inherent injustice associated with this case, puts everything at stake that we all have fought so long for; the power and independence of the county sheriff and his duty to stand for individual liberties.
Sheriff Nick Finch did exactly what all of us have been hoping and praying for now for so many years; he nullified a gun charge and the arrest of a law-abiding citizen. So the State, under the direction of one corrupt deputy Attorney General (Willie Meggs) with complicity of an equally corrupt FL Governor, actually arrested and removed from office the duly elected Sheriff of Liberty County, Florida. Governor Scott and Mr. Meggs claim that Sheriff Finch destroyed public records when he released the innocent man arrested by one of his deputies. (You can read more about this at cspoa.org.) So of course, they nullified the election of Sheriff Finch who had only been in office a few months when all this occurred. Which begs the question: which is worse, the Sheriff rectifying an arrest of an innocent man and possibly whiting out the man’s name on the jail roster or the AG and Governor destroying the election by the people of Liberty county who chose Sheriff Finch last November to be their their Chief Law Enforcement Officer?
Now we have Sheriff Finch going into the Lion’s den with his trial starting Tuesday morning. The jury has been selected. I thought doing so would be impossible. Why? Because if the prospective jurors voted for Finch then that would be grounds for dismissal from jury service. Likewise, if the prospective jurors voted against Finch, that too would disqualify them from jury service. If the prospective jurors were so apathetic as to not vote at all that should also be grounds for disqualification. If you don’t care enough to vote in an election how are you going to care enough to vote on a jury?
But still, a jury has been selected and yes, Sheriff Finch puts his life and career on the line for all of us tomorrow. I am here to support him and his good wife in every way that I can. Tonight I will hit my knees and pray for Sheriff Finch and his family. But more importantly, I will pray for truth and justice. I will pray for America and the hope that we can restore liberty one county, one good Sheriff at a time.
You can donate to Sheriff Nick Finch’s legal fund here: https://cspoa.org/cspoa-supports-sheriff-finch-in-florida/
In liberty, Richard MackP.S. What else can you do to help? Please spread the word by forwarding this article link to everyone you can, and please post links to cspoa.org on your own web sites and social networking pages (facebook, etc.) We desperately need to increase awareness if our message is to have a widespread effect!
About Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association
The Constitutional Sheriffs And Peace Officers Association is here to equip sheriffs, peace officers and public officials with the necessary information and public support to carry out their duties in accordance with their Oaths of Office. Visit: www.cspoa.org