‘Terrorizing people,’ fumes driver after getting $80k fine for parking on his property – city sent ‘tank’ to get cash | 88I24H8 | 2024-05-12 12:08:01
'Terrorizing people,' fumes driver after getting $80k fine for parking on his property – city sent 'tank' to get cash | 88I24H8 | 2024-05-12 12:08:01
MORE than 20 police officers showed up at a driver's home with an armored SWAT vehicle after the car owner received $80,000 in tickets.
Roger Hoeppner sued Marathon County, Wisconsin after police sent a nearly $400,000 to his home to collect the parking fines.
Hoeppner, who was 75 in 2014, owed $80,000 to Marathon County after local officials complained about the state of his yard, according to The Guardian.
The homeowner lived on 20 acres of land. He used the area around his home for his private businesses, including restoring antique tractors.
He also had several wood pallets for shipping.
The items strewn on the homeowner's lawn were the subject of a years-long back and forth between the city of Stettin and Hoeppner.
The city initially sued the homeowner in 2008 complaining about the lawn. They filed other complaints in 2010.
A judge ruled with the city in 2013, saying officials were allowed to collect items from his lawn.
The judgement included a daily $500 fine – by 2014, the fine ballooned into the giant payment.
Then, the county tried to collect the money from the complaints.
In October 2014, 24 police officers and a Lenco BearCat armored vehicle descended on the property in hopes to receive the fine payment.
The Lenco BearCat is an armored vehicle designed for law enforcement agencies, SWAT teams, and military units.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> The BearCat is built on a truck chassis and features heavy armor plating to protect occupants from gunfire, explosives, and other threats.
It also costs municipalities around $400,000 to accrue the equipment.
Hoeppner didn't understand why police didn't just ask him for the money in the mail.
"I just don't understand why a dollar and a half of postage on an envelope that I would have had to pick up at the Wausau post office wouldn't have done the same thing as 24 officers and an armored vehicle," he told the publication.
At the time, Marathon County sheriff's captain, Greg Bean, defended the use of force outside of the elderly man's home.
<p class="article__content--intro"> You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made </p> </div> </div> "I've been involved in about five standoff situations where, as soon as the MARV showed up, the person gives up," Bean said.
Eventually, Hoeppner sued the city for the use of force outside his home.
The homeowner settled the civil lawsuit for $90,000, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal.
Hoeppner's lawyer, Jeff Scott Olson said new city leadership has moved away from using armored vehicles during standard fine collection.
"I think the town's enforcement priorities have changed since the board turned over," Olsen said.
More >> https://ift.tt/Hv5SthZ Source: MAG NEWS
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