Nearly Arrested Yesterday - Mask issue
Wednesday evening my wife and daughter accompanied me to Albuquerque where we picked up my son coming home from West Point, New York. He'll be here about a week, then he's heading back out to Fort Indiantown Gap, PA to train with some National Guard soldiers. We spent the night in Albuquerque.
Yesterday morning we were heading north on I-25 when we did a regular stop in Rio Rancho, New Mexico (US 550) at the Warrior 66 station and convenience store. This is on the Santa Ana Pueblo Reservation. We buy gas and buy bottles of water. Attempting to use my debit card and the machine kept glitching. Told the wife I was going in to have them run the card from inside. By the pumps was a lot of spilled diesel on the ground, and under my feet. I carry a disposable mask in my pocket but when I tried pulling it out, it snagged on keys and fell on the ground, in the diesel. I said a cuss word then proceeded to pull out a heavy bandana of a red and white floral pattern and walked over to the store, holding the bandana over my face with my left hand. When I walked in, the fat Indian woman behind the counter yelled at me and told me I had to leave because I had no mask on. I replied that everything from my nose to my chin and the sides of my face were covered and I wanted to give her my card to run the gas purchase. She just yelled for me to get out, then she left the counter and ran outside to a parked Santa Ana Pueblo police vehicle. I watched at the counter while she was telling the Pueblo officer something.
At that point I decided to leave and get fuel somewhere else. As I walked out the door, this police officer (also on the portly side) ordered me to stop right where I was and he proceeded to tell me that he could arrest and fine me right then and there for violating the State mask order ($100 fine and up to 6 months in jail). I walked right past him saying nothing and he ordered me to stop again. At this point the wife saw what was happening and drove our truck up to where I was at and she got out. I turned and he was on his radio asking for three additional units, then told me to stop moving and he was going to arrest me for violating the State mandate. I looked at his name badge and it said R. Holguin. I told him my face was covered and I want to be on my way. He told me to shut up. I then lost it and called him a F__king piece of shit and everyone I had ever met in the past named Holguin was a giant tub of lard. That got him worked up and he told me he was arresting me for Verbal Assault as well. I told him good luck with that and did I lose First Amendment Rights as soon as I entered the Santa Ana Pueblo? Verbal Assault is a non-crime.
I continued walking towards the truck to get in, and he moved behind the truck, taking the plate number, and standing there to prevent us from moving. In the meantime the wife was on the phone with a law office in Santa Fe our family has retained for decades, who is politically connected. She actually got our attorney and she put him on the speaker of her phone where the portly Santa Ana Pueblo Officer could hear. The statement by the attorney was basically telling officer tubby that legal action would be filed against him and the Pueblo and it would be advisable if he were to let this drop. At that point officer tubby got on the radio, stepped off to the side and told us to leave the Santa Ana Pueblo immediately and not come back to that gas station again. We left.
Just for reference, here is our own governor holding a similar bandana up to her face in recent months. Mine was providing the same coverage.
Last edited by OH58D; 07-10-20 at 10:26.
Maj. USAR (Ret) 160th SOAR, 2/17 CAV
NRA Life Member
Black Mesa Ranch. Raising Fine Cattle and Horses in San Miguel County since 1879
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Originally Posted by diving dave
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