Lawsuit Involving Sheriff Settled
WESB NEWSA lawsuit against McKean County Sheriff Brad Mason has been settled for $30,000.
86 year-old Lester Watson had accused Sheriff Mason of shoving and pushing him after he tried to offer bail for a relative at the McKean County Jail on June 26 2008.
Watson had been charged with resisting arrest and accused the Sheriff of using excessive force and violence in the confrontation.
Over 12,000 people have viewed this video on you tube of the McKean County Sheriff and Lester Watson that was recorded on the jail's video surveillance system.
66 comments:
he should have sued for more money.that is not right treating a old man like that.he fought for our lives.god bless the vets.
now you see what kinda Sheriff mckean county has people need to remeber this when it comes time for election
if you look at the video the vet bumped his chest against the sherriff.the vet probably served 4 years i thank him for that but the sherriff has served for 20 years you people voted for him he is a good man im not saying he is right or he is wrong but come on if the guy would have been a 25 year old none of this would be a issue think about it just cause you serve our country does not give you the right to do what you want or feel is right mason is a good sherriff and he is a good person to have in your community hope this is all water under the bridge god bless you all and have a good night
The problem is everyone in this messed up world is sue happy.Just because someone is a vet,does not give them anymore rights.The sherriff does not make the laws he is supposed to enforce them.The vet should not have bumped his chest against the sherriff.In the first place if his relative was as good as th VET they probably wouldn;t have been in jail to begin with.Just goes to show you we all make mistakes.
This is sheriff is a joke there is such a thing as a personal zone this may have been avoided if these no it all cops who think they are big and bad would not over use their power and think they can do what they want
Just for the public knowledge base, pushing, spitting, chest bumping and the like are all considered assault if they do it to a police officer or yes, yes a SHERIFF!!!
to defend that thug is crazy, on the same note if 25 yr old civilian did that to an 85 yr old man... well i think you get it. mason should be barred from law enforcement. maybe 1 yr in the slammer with some other bad asses on even playing grounds would do him so good.
i wouldnt call that a chest bump more like a lean forward but we all see it our own ways now dont we.
there are good cops and bad cops
just like everyone elts..there are good people and bad people..but in todays world the bad people just make it worse for the good people
but stuff like this is going on every day it all over the world
not just in one place
possibly we want to take into consideration the law is always right ...even if they lie...and it happens more than you know ... 86 yrs old come on what kind of threat could that be ... mason wanted a conflict bet he will watch for the cam next time ..
Anyone cop or not that would shove an 86 year old man needs his ass kicked!
Poster 7:26 - you hit the nail on the head.
There is right and there is wrong. People need to be responsible for their actions.
Some suits are only about greed and once in awhile you read about suits that were just.
probably wont get nothing out of it i had my arm broke by one and no one did anything about it cuz it was a cop
Shame on these cops. I am so happy the old man sued and got money. Vote this bumSherriff out! Cops like this make it hard to respect any of them.
You who are defending this Sheriff you must have missed the part where he followed the elder gentlemen outside and initiated the argument or whatever was taking place.... WTH is that?? think about it if any NOT in law enforcement did that it would be considered premeditated or if nothing else harassment!
Sheiff Mason is clearly a bully. Mr. Watson was going to his car, Mr. Mason just couldn't leave him go. Mr. Mason had an audience and was showing off and it cost him and our county 30,000. It's time we get a new Sheriff we can't afford this one.
the real problem with this is that the man was going to his vehicle probably to leave. the sheriff followed him into the parking lot and obviously said something to provoke the man to come back and get in his face like that. the sheriff created the situation and should be punished for it. it's called instigating. they even have a penalty in hockey for that!
I agree 12;24, The Sherrife oughta be ashamed of himself!!!!
I have read all these comments. In my opinion, noone should push any elderly person around. What if you were elderly and were shoved around by a punk A** cop? You would be doing the same thing that fella done!! Don't any of you sit there on your A**es and say you wouldn't because you would be lying. Use your head for better things than to argue about that elderly man. My father, uncles cousins and grandfather served in the armed services. These people fought long and hard for you people to have your freedom. Now all those veterans or soon to be veterans are your children. GET A GRIP ON LIFE AND STOP COMPLAINING...There are much more things to do with your time than to complain. The elderly man done what he felt was right and got what he deserved. These "cops" now a days think that the badge will help them. Well think again, your just as human as we are so, Stop BULLYING people and do your JOBS the RIGHT way
The Sheriff followed him to the parking lot. Watson stopped approaching Mason and Mason continued to close the distance between the two of them. Law Enforcement 101 tells you to create space between you and the other individual. Mason did not follow protocol, he instigated the situation, and he used WAY too much force on a man that bumped chests with him (only had the chance to bump chests because MASON got that close in the first place). Sadly, Mason is in for a while longer because even after I ran this story last year he still ran unopposed and was by default sheriff again.
Try following the rules and have RESPECT for our Officers!!! GOD knows we need our protectors!
I was standing still the only thing i did was refuse to talk the cop jumped me hand cuffed one arm asked for the other i said let up a little cuz i am lying on it and i will give it to you he pulled it off and under me and snapped it in half now i live with pain of a plate in my arm tell me were is the justice the man is lucky he got something out of it is all i have to say congrads to him
We cannot pass judgement on the actions of the officer based on what is seen in this video. We do not know the whole story or the events that may have occurred inside. Perhaps the man was making threats. If that is the case I would hope that the officers would follow him to the parking lot and make sure he didn't follow through.
Still looks to me that there was plenty of poor behavior to go around.
Without audio no one knows what was said or who was escalating the argument.
To me it appears they both had a chip on their shoulder.
Eye juss wish sum ov yu peeple wud yous spel cheqer or sumthink, If yu kant speel yu shud knot bee abel two post on a pubic fourum. Hoo iz gona take yu sirius when yu rite like this?
If Barney Fife had a higher skill set, none of this would have happened.
He could have accepted the Legal Tender offered by the man, drove to the bank and deposited it.
The County paid, because he was guilty and they faced paying a ton more if it went before a jury.
I guess we should be thankful he wasn't Tased or shot dead in the parking lot.
I cannont believe the people on here that would defend that person (the sheriff). What a rotten individual he must also be in and around his community. I hope I never run into this clown. He deserves to be thrown into prison himself for a period of time on top of the monetary payment to the victim here. Just an aweful person.
You people are ridiculous. Are you seeing ok?? This crazy old timer got in the face and possibly touched the OFFICIAL 1st! I don't know why everybody lacks respect for those with a badge but it probably has something to do with the shape our country is in. Sheriff you did nothing out of the ordinary here.
the reason why most people have no respect for the badge is because they issue tikets for talking on cell phones, waering no seet belts and they do it themselves a cop puts there hands on you its ok you do it to them and your in trouble the min most cops put that badge and gun on they think they are so much better then you are and can do what ever they want as for are country its a joke we cant take care of our own people so lets hand out another 250,000 green cards a year i have said it once i will say it again its not going to be a forin country to take our government down its going to be our own people because the people are getting sick of the crap and it gets worse and worse by the day so you tell me why people have no respect
cops will always believe a liar.
because that is what they do.
they never believe some one that is telling the truth..there are two sides to every store. but the cops always believe a liar more..
but the law say's no putting hands
on no one cop or no cop..what the hell was going on in this cops head
if it was his father in the war would he of put his hands on his father as well..buy this vet a drink.he need's one after all this shit..
I watched the video several times just to make sure but it looks to me like they both were wrong. Vet or not. Sherriff or not. Both are at fault for their own actions instigated or not by either party.
he should of sued for more money.
for god he is a vet.cops make more money then a vet..
She sheriff is darn lucky that Mr. Watson wasn`t 20 years younger, coz i would put my money on Mr. Watson. He was trying to leave and Mason had to get in a last word. He`s lucky all he got was a chest bump.
10:01...People are seeing just fine. The Sheriff created a hostile situation. You can clearly see the older gentleman walking to his vehicle. This started BEFORE the Sheriff pushed him. If the elderly gentleman was guilty of something before the push, the Sheriff would not have pushed, but arrested him then. That did not happen. What happened clearly, again, is the Sheriff confronting the elderly gentleman in a hostile manner. You simply cannot see this any other way.
I never heard of an official following someone out of the building to the parking lot. This was all uncalled for if the Sheriff had stayed in his "own space" in his office and not come outside like a thug looking for a fight. This was simply a view of a very UNprofessional person in a Profession which requires a person of higher standards than this man.
some people will never see eye to eye, and even if a video doesnt lie.a pissed man leaveing, useing his right to speak his mind,and a sherrif, who wants to start a conflict.its true, people do make mistakes,but some have a code to abide by,and really should know better...{to protect and serve the people} hope you didnt forget your badge, that day..peace out!!!!!!
I have watched this vidio many times,over and over,slow and slower....Mr. Watson came close and got in his face but never chested him.As far as the so called distance line,I think thats bull.Whats fair for one is fair for the other..As was said by another,We only wished we had audio from inside to the end of this ordeal..Disregarding that,I dont blame Mr Watson for standing up in his own defense...I have too many stories and have been in the same ordeal..Ever see the movie ,Above the Law? There is going to come a time when the overtaxed people get tired of this kind of behavor....Look at all the other Countries that are tired of the bullying of the so called Eleet people such as our Government all the way down to our police...It's just rediculous..Must be part of the so called (THIRD WORLD ORDER)that is as i type is being slowly put into place..If you don't know what that is..you had better study it!!!!I love my Country and my rights..I don't have to put up with thugs...This settlment should have come out of the Sherifs pocket book, not from the tax payers..
To 9:41. Iwould like to run into you.You sound like a thug.This is all over with.Justice has done what it is going to do and that is the way it is.I guess if you could do better you should run at the next election.Maybe you could be the next Obama,grow up and get a life.As far as saying you would like to run in to him{the sherriff] well you know were he works.Maybe you should be put in jail for being a cocky dumba**.Have a good day.Your sherriff is a good cop he has been in that area his whole life.He has helped alot of people but we don'thear about that.We only hear of negative things,thats the problem with the world
They wouldn't have settled for 30,000 unless the Sherif CLEARLy was in the wrong, as he was. This sheriif needs to resign. Horrible agreession on his part. We need a kinder, gentler nation. This sheriff gioves his dept. a bad name and he has lost all credibility. What a bum for this behavior.
i would like to know what the Sheriff said to him to make him walk back..i seen this video and the sheriff must of said some thing.because the vet was walking away..
If people knew the entire story AND repeat history of the older gentleman, there might not be as much contiversy over the incident. He is a frequent flyer bailing out his beloved family, knows the rules of no cash and is a hot head. I know for a fact that he was provoking the officer, causing them to follow him to the parking lot. Just because you are a vet, does not make you and your family above the law repeatedly.
$30,000.00 isn't "winning" a lawsuit!! It's getting it out of the way. They would spend more to fight it and not be found liable. That's the sad thing about suing!! It's more expensive to prove your case than to just pay someone off.....clearly the case here!!
Sorry but the sheriffs actions are very disturbing. 85 + vet = 100% respect
I saw this for the first time today and I'm not from your area but was disgusted with what I saw,an old man going to his car, a sheriff calling him back and keeping an issue going... I don't care what the cop had to say he needs to learn to treat older people with respect .. the old fellow could have fallen and hit his head and been killed, did you see the size of the sheriff compared to the old fellow.... I'm glad I don't live in your county I would be ashamed.............
As poster 3:15 has stated, the older "gentleman" (for lack of a better word for this man, as this post would be deleted if I used a name appropriate for this "person") has a pretty good track record for being "non compliant" with any law agency, as does his family, and I would not be surprised if he had made some pretty good threats towards the sheriff. Besides, he knows the rules...he is a regular with his family being incarcerated and dealing with the jail,probation dept., etc., etc.....
why did the sheriff come out after the man??? He was walking towards his car and you can see the sheriff come out and provoke the man. Obviously the public could see the truth in the matter since he won $30,000 and no I do not think that was enough. Mason should not be sheriff any longer - definitely not a town I will be visiting any time soon!
I agree 6:48, It is disgusting to watch the video & to see the sherrife abuse this elderly man, charges should have been filed on the sherrife for elder abuse, if it had been you or me, charges would have been filed, no questions asked, we would have been up for elderly abuse, this is exactly what happened in this video! Mr. Mason should be ashamed of himself, he came out looking for TROUBLE!
12:58 You said we need "A kinder gentler nation" Do you have any idea the kind of scum bag pieces of garbage the law enforcement works with, in our county on a daily basis? There are child abusers, druggies, rapists, murderers, etc... We are surrounded by some very unsavory types of people. Do you want someone to coddle this scum of the earth ? All I can say to you is WAKE UP ALICE YOUR NOT IN WONDERLAND !!!
None of us see the entire episode. Whether Watson is a Vet or not does not matter here people. He must've done some provoking as well or the Sheriff would not have walked out with witnesses to address the issue. None of you know the entire story, but you continue to run your mouths.
I suppose you all thought Rodney King was an innocent man too?
To 12:33... I am the poster at 9:41, and if you read my first post I said I wish I DIDNT run into this scum. Like I said, he is probably just as bad a person in the community as he is a sheriff. Its not hard to call a spade a spade. If it smells like it and tastes like it call it what it is. This sheriff is an instigating abuse of power monger. Through him in jail and out of office.
To the last poster here...."he must have done some provoking"??? Obviously YOU don't know what happened beforehand either or you wouldn't have said "must have"... so.....
YOU don't know the whol;e story either. Quit running YOUR mouth. I don't live there and don't know either party but from watching the video a couple of times, it is evident the sherriff has an axe to grind yet. Are you calling the old man a "Scum bag piece of garbage"? Maybe he should come after you and sue for libel...You are a jerk! Budd of old sheriff??Huh?
some time's the law is not always right. they think they know it all just because they think they have power.cops are always not right they just think they are..
and they all wonder why the public has lost respect? HMMMMMM...
hmmm,Vet in one hand vs. two ton sheriff in the other. Vet has been thru alot more than that there sheriff will ever dream. the sheriff got what he deserved. god for bid a vet stands up for his family. i betcha the sheriff would do the same thing. i betcha anyone of you would stand up for a family member.
the vidieo,the court system, awarding the vet 30,000.00 big ones.. and still? is justice really blind? or just some people who cant see past there own nose,
just rember, with the power of this video, nobody would ever know what really happens when your not aware your on tape, and words wouldnt mean a hill of [bad word].who would you believe?oh yes!!! NO EVIDENCE............
I just cannot believe the sheriff was stupid enough to act in this manner -- I am sure he must have realized that the parking lot had video cameras. Thank goodness for Mr. Watson that cameras were there. I feel it clearly shows that the sheriff pursued him out to the parking lot trying to instigate a confrontation. That in itself shows me a lack of professionalism. Mr. Watson was clearly leaving w/o incident. It is obvious the sheriff wanted to insight Mr. Watson so he could present a reason to arrest him. I won't be voting for Brad next election. Sometimes it takes a "bigger" man to walk away!
You have to be kidding ! He was awarded $30,000 for that ! That wouldn't fly in the city . The tax payers just got taken for a ride ! Hope it covered the bail for his relative !
get the spelling right (video)
let's get off this the video tell's it all.let's STOP bitching
and find something new to bitch about like are roads.LOL
Veterans should NOT be treated this way. Really? Timothy McVeigh, AKA – The Oklahoma Bomber was a US veteran. Being a veteran doesn’t give a person special privileges to be above the law, regardless of age, gender, religion, national original, race, military status or domestic partner preference.
I agree with Sunday, March 13, 2011 10:31:00 PM EDT, this would never fly in a city. Its to bad that country bumpkins don’t have respect for law enforcement in their community, but instead encourage disrespect - as you can see the old man turned around and was yelling something, probably threats. Threats are not considered rhetoric anymore. Threats are taken very seriously, even in the backwood, hills and out in the country.
i cant believe, because you lived in the city,and thats the way things are done, that makes theses crimes less? maybe, thats part of the reasons why people think they can do them? just remember.. us country folk, red necks,bumpkins, what ever you want to call us,[if sum tin wong,wes fix um] and if you dont agree,and prefer city ways, just one thing to do, city boy, punk,slicker,thug,or what ever you go by..... why dont you find your way back home,and please, take the spell checker,WITH YOU...lol
to poster 12:33 i'm sure sure a lot of people would like to run into this billy bad ass, but oh yeah he carries a firearm,nightstick,tazer and whatever self defense. pretty easy to ruff up an old man when your geared up. sad that the justice system puts up with this crap,UNLESS its caught on video and exposed!!!!
12:23 your cool bhind your anonymous name.
maybe the owner of this site should get is A$$ KICKED like mr. watson did. jim sounds like a S**t talker!!!
To Monday, March 14, 2011 3:27:00 PM EDT;
(A) when I said this would never fly in the city, I should have been clearer. Certainly anyone can take legal action for any reason; regardless of rather they're in the city or in the country. Folks are just “sue happy” these days. My point is this: a jury in the city would never have awarded this person compensation. We have respect for our law enforcement. I know firsthand that law enforcement is trained to remove a treating situation by pushing the aggressor backwards. When the old man got in the officers face, the officer pushed him away from personal space and away from his weapon, then spun him around so he could hand cuff him. This is how he was trained. NO ONE should ever expect an officer of the law to continue a confrontation, especially when a weapon is that close to the aggressor.
Mayberry is a made up town in Hollywood where all problems are solved in 30 minutes. Whomever said “they should have just let that poor old man go” is living in a fancy land where aggressors don’t pull weapons on law officers and they think that law officer are just like Roscoe P. Coletrain from the Dukes of Hazard. Reality is a little more complicated.
(B) I am a girl, in my mid 40's, sorry to burst your bubble. I chuckled at you for associating the city with “punk, slicker, thug”.
(C) I didn’t have to leave the comforts of the city and go to the country to post this, the internet is everywhere. So, I don’t have to “go back where I came from”, I’m already here – giggle giggle.
(D) I was raised in Potter County, graduated from HS there and then moved away. I've thought of going back there for my retirement, but then folks like you remind me of why I left. I think I'll retire in Asheville NC; it offers the amenities of the city and yet is small enough to be called a quant country community. The folks there are smart and friendly. Don't bother writing and asking me not to come home, you've already said it. Besides, I'd rather reinvest my retirement money in a community that appreciates it.
(E) I did copy/paste my post and no spelling errors come up, yours however had several. Put your money where your mouth is and use the spell checker as well as the grammar checker. HINT: If you’re using MS Office 2007, click on the “office button”, “word options” at the bottom of the window, click “proofing”, and then click “mark grammar errors as you type”.
(F) I’ll be home (Potter County) in the summer to visit some family that still live in the area, maybe we can get together, have lunch and continue this conversation? Till then, you have a blessed day.
To 8:25 You need help...It is obvious that you have never been humiliated or missused by an officer,as a so call good person in standing..Just look at this forum..Count the magority the + and the -.. We do belive in the law and try to abide.This hole forum has turned into an argument..What a divided country we live in..I'm assured that the Mason Dixon Line is still a divition of the North and the South.By reading your own words as well as others.What a shame..When you get on your knees to pray tonight,Ask our Lord where your heart is and also where it should be...........
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