Anyone get arrested for brewing or mistaken identity?

[jvh261]

This time of year, I brew at the edge of my garage, with the garage door open. You should see the looks on the faces of the neighbors I don't know as they walk past and see me playing with the carboys.

Same with me. A neighbor finally asked me what I'm doing out there as I was chilling yesterday saying she has seen me out there almost every nice day. I try to repurpose as much water as possible for cleaning coming out of my chiller but when there is still a bit extra I'll just start dumping buckets of water into the bushes that line the side of my backyard fence. May as well water the trees. So I'm rushing around dumping buckets of water in the bushes with a big pot, a cooler, 2 kegs in the driveway, a few buckets, tubes, a giant spoon, etc.

If you didn't know what we were up to it would probably seem pretty strange. I live in a fairly small suburb of Chicago. The house we bought was owned by the same family for 50 years and a lot of the old folks in town knew that family. So we were the "new people" for a while. First time I took my dog to the local groomers to get his nails cut, the owner says, "You must be the one that makes beer in your garage." I guess word gets around.

 

[corn]

i am a professional firefighter and i will tell you what my crew would do!..take down his name and number that way we can trade beers when i get off shift!!:rockin:

+1

 

[rhamilton]

That guy should tell his landlord to F-off and move out ASAP.

The feeling of having pigs tear through your apartment must be gut wrenching.

Bought a house last year after the maintenance crew stole my bowl ring, laptop, and reported my orchid grow as marijuana which got me a 4am visit from the narc squad. Awful, ignorant people live and/or work at those places.

 

[Mikethepoolguy]

There are two kinds of cops. The first kind are angels that want to help people, and they deserve a lot more than they get in pay. The other kind are sociopaths that just want power over people and bust some heads, they should all be put on an island to kill each other.

 

[Airborneguy]

I always find it hilarious that inevitably, no one gets any flack over these situations other than the cops. I don't work in a meth area, but there seems to be little information that the cops did anything wrong here. The building manager decided for whatever reason to report enough to warrant a search which seems to have followed the laws of the area (which seems like a strange law). If its even true (a blog as a source does not warrant badmouthing anyone in my world...), the only person who seems to be straying out of line is the fire marshall who is pushing to enforce a very obscure code violation. No one seems upset enough to bad mouth firemen though...

There are two kinds of cops. The first kind are angels that want to help people, and they deserve a lot more than they get in pay. The other kind are sociopaths that just want power over people and bust some heads, they should all be put on an island to kill each other.

While I have no beef with your statement about there being bad cops, it comes across as if you were thinking, "Hey, this seems like a good place to drop this." After all, there's nothing in the BLOG source that implies power hungry cops are involved here. As far as the last sentence, you've completely lost me. If you meant what you said about good cops, why would you want them isolated and battling it out with bad cops? Pretty much a dumb ****ing statement if you ask me.

The only beef I have with civilians is that they love running their mouths about cops being ******** at with almost no proof at all. Do it when they deserve it so that your words carry some weight. When you just run your mouth with no good reason, not many people are going to take it seriously. A BLOG? I wish I could live in that world, it would make my life much easier. And I'm not even talking about work. Imagine being able to make concrete decisions with little to no evidence or observation! How easy is that?

(Still waiting to find out who actually got arrested and what the hell "mistaken identity" has to do with this...)

 

[Special Hops]

Get a lawyer and take their ass to court for entering without a warrant.

 

[ScoRas]

The whole situation sucks. I gave a glass of my first batch to my landlord yesterday morning, (yes, morning, lol), and he said it tastes lime Rogue 2PA! (it was a blind pig clone by morebeer)

Then I asked about the unused chest freezer in the garage, and it's mine to use!

As far as landlord allowing search of the premises, hexane let the FD in for safety issues, but can not consent to a search for criminal activity, although they can give enough info for probable cause, which gets tricky.

http://www.realpolice.net/forums/archive/t-34992.html

There are some links to court decisions on the website above.

 

[ScoRas]

Lol, hexane = he can't. My iPhone was being ironic.

 

[Airborneguy]

Odds are FD went in and called the PD when they saw the setup and didn't know what it was. Being that FD was legally in the apartment, if the equipment was being used for meth, them notifying PD would make the evidence admissible. It is fairly common to be called by FD to check out something they see in a home/apartment.

Best bet though is to read a blog then blame the cops. That's the more popular route.

 

[sudsmcgee]

Get a lawyer and take their ass to court for entering without a warrant.

The landlord can let them in without a warrant since it's his property, not the tenants. One of the reasons why I will never rent.

 

[Mikethepoolguy]

Excuse me, but if the issue was lp tanks stored improperly then the cops didn't need to be there at all. That was just an excuse to search the property without a warrant. Did anyone bother to investigate first or even ask the guy what the stuff was for? It's a good thing he wasn't at home or he might have gotten harassed and beat up too.

 

[jd3]

Get a lawyer and take their ass to court for entering without a warrant.

They entered legally.

Goes like this. Landlord reports to fire department for possible fire code violation. Fire department comes with Fire Inspector and PD comes along for protection(this is standard on any of these types of things). Fire department doesn't really know what they are seeing, says to PD, there is some suspicious stuff. I think you need to look at it.

They look. Based on the above they could have easily obtained a warrant too. The standards to get a warrant aren't particularly high. Particularly when you've got the word of a truck full of firemen. Like ABG said, who hates on firemen?

The firemen are the ones who threatened to come back. They are the ones who took the propane tanks(and I agree that they should be removed from a residential building.).

This law allowing fire inspectors entrance isn't that uncommon. IN my area in a fire related to a meth lab, the fire department stays on scene(and thus has access to the building) until search warrants are secured by the PD. Fire department inspector can close off the building for "public safety" until they basically feel like it and thus people cannot go in to destroy evidence. If someone attempts to go in, it is an arrest for interfering with official business.

Do we even KNOW the PD was involved? All we have is that it was "raided".

This quote misses something:

"ever once witnessed black smoke pouring out of my buddy’s apartment. The windows were not covered with foil or blankets, and no one was bringing fuel cans, drain cleaners, or coffee filters into the residence on a regular basis. "

He was however witnessed bringing propane tanks in and out, prob seen with carboys or the like. To most people, like most of us know, that would be suspicious. Why in the hell should someone be bringing multiple propane tanks into their apartment?

There isn't even enough information in this story for us to confirm any part of it. It is a "blog" post and not "journalism" in any way. It is more of an op-ed.

People getting their panties in a bunch need to remember that 1) he was violating at least 1 law. 2) the landlord authorized search(which is legal by law) 3) the FIRE department said they would come back.


What exactly did the police department do wrong here?

Fire fighters are like angels to people. They must **** pure gold. (I'm a paramedic so I am the ugly step child of public service).

 

[jd3]

Excuse me, but if the issue was lp tanks stored improperly then the cops didn't need to be there at all. That was just an excuse to search the property without a warrant. Did anyone bother to investigate first or even ask the guy what the stuff was for? It's a good thing he wasn't at home or he might have gotten harassed and beat up too.

Do we actually know the PD was there? There was a note from the FD. He wasn't there. And we can't confirm ANY of this?

What a bunch of butt hurt emo kids running to the fire.

 

[RRoy333]

Its really sad that home brewing is so taboo still. Im treated with a sort of cautious curiosity when talking beer with my friends haha. Granted, these are some of the same people who think food comes from the grocery store...

 

[boo boo]

Unfortunately, the only real time we, the public, hear about any deeds the cops do, is when it is bad. Not enough is said about those good cops, which happen to have our best interests at heart, doing normal police work. Sometimes those best interests conflict with your basic rights, but you US citizens, not without reason from what I understand, get your backs up and blast the very people you charge to protect you. It's time to get serious with the multiple offenders.

I fear Canada is following your example.

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

I'm putting my stuff in storage while we prepare our house to sell. In the little town of less than 2500 people with seven police officers that get erections at the thought of busting a meth lab, I would have had nothing but hassle had I got pulled over on the way to the mini storage.

 

[boo boo]

I had a buddy of mine get busted a little while ago with meth pils. I always knew he sold a little weed and hash and I don't think that was much to worry about. But meth is another thing. He deserves every thing the judge gives him if he is found guilty
I don't live in a huge metro region, but the fact that he was busted with so much, makes me wonder how epidemic the meth problem is, and how the cops can do anything to stop it.
Time to educate people that it is far better to drink home brew than shag around with drugs, not that an abuse of home brew would be any better.

 

[ClaudiusB]

Hello fellow El Pasoan! I just might have to walk in your door myself some day!

Any time

During our cold winter days (50s) only a yellow light will tell you the brewery is open.

I am a professional firefighter and I will tell you what my crew would do!..

On there first training mission a few years ago.
Save the brewery not the house.

I have strangers asking me what do you do, my reply research lab.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

 

[Franco]

Fire fighters are like angels to people. They must **** pure gold. (I'm a paramedic so I am the ugly step child of public service).

Completely but stay strong brother, we're everywhere

 

[Teromous]

I brew in my back yard with a privacy fence, so my only real encounters have been police helicopters hovering overhead. I just give them a wave and go about my business, but it's funny to attract interest. I'd much rather get buzzed by a helo than have my house invaded while I'm away...

 

[downtown3641]

I've never been hassled. My neighbors know what I'm doing, so I doubt the police will ever pop in. However, if the do come by and their inquiry involves anything beyond "Hello, sir. What's in the cooler?," I'll likely file a complaint.

 

[microbusbrewery]

Long story short, since the guy was a renter the landlord had every right to let the PD and FD in to investigate. When you're the victim of this type of situation it can be a bit unnerving and I think the PD could have handled it better. That said, I think it's kind of human nature to assume the worst and unfortunately sometimes that means assuming guilt. I'm not saying that's right, but unfortunately that is the case sometimes.

Case in point, and I apologize for the novel, but a couple years ago we had a fourth of July BBQ/party and we were shooting off fireworks in my cul de sac. Unknown to me, someone that was renting a house around the corner took exception to the fireworks and had come over to complain.

I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I saw her yelling at someone and she was visibly aggitated. I watched her start to walk away then she abruptly stopped, turned around, and made a bee-line for me. She jammed her cell phone in my face and was trying to take my picture. I calmly asked her what she was doing and held my hand up. She started waving her phone around trying to take my picture and was yelling and swearing at me. She hit my hand with her cell phone then started screaming "Assault, assault!!!!" I could tell this wasn't someone that was dealing with a full deck so I immediately turned and walked away from her.

Counting my guests and the neighbors, there were at least 30 witnesses on hand, most of which were telling her to calm down and go home. This lady was pacing back and forth dropping F-bombs and telling my kids they were going to burn in hell. I sent everyone inside the house and she appeared to leave so I figured it was over. Then about 20 minutes later the police showed up. I went out to talk to them and about two seconds into it I could tell by their attitude toward me, they were assuming I was guilty of assault. I gave them my statement then they talked to a couple of my guests as well as all the neighbors. All my neighbors came to my defense and told the police that nothing had happened other than the crazy lady had been freaking out. The police stopped taking statements after the fifth witness...then they issued me a citation for assault.

The lady claimed I grabbed her by the wrists and I was wrestling her in front of all my neighbors (and for some mysterious reason nobody came to her aid when I was "attacking" her) until she somehow managed to overpower me. Oh, I should probably mention, I'm 6'5" and I weigh about 250lbs. At the time I'd been doing a lot of road cycling and lifting weights. I wasn't in the best shape of my life, but pretty good shape for a 40 year old. The lady was probably in her early 60's, was about 5'2" and about 180lbs...basically a short flabby blob. I looked at the cops when they told me her story and I asked, "you seriously believe that?????"

I'm a very mellow laid back guy. I never made any threatening gestures, never made any verbal threats, and I immediately walked away to try to diffuse the situation. Looking back on it I can't think of anything I could have done differently except maybe take out my cell phone and record her so that I had evidence of how out of control she was. I've considered installing a surveillance system on my house because of this experience. I got a ticket from the PD simply because in their minds they saw a big guy and a little old lady playing the assault card. The police actually told me that just being a large guy can be intimidating to people. I told them I can't help being a big guy and there's no law against it. Fortunately in my case, the city attorney took one look at it and dropped the charge. To this day it still pisses me off that this woman lied to police and wasted my time, the police's time, the city's time, etc.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is despite their best intentions, police officers are human and just like you and me they can jump to conclusions and make mistakes.

 

[ScoRas]

A landlord can not consent to search. They can report suspicious circumstances that may give law enforcement probable cause, or enough info to obtain a warrant. I'm not taking any sides here, just reporting some court decisions regarding the matter.

http://www.caselaw4cops.net/searchandseizure/consent.htm

 

[jd3]

A landlord can not consent to search. They can report suspicious circumstances that may give law enforcement probable cause, or enough info to obtain a warrant. I'm not taking any sides here, just reporting some court decisions regarding the matter.

http://www.caselaw4cops.net/searchandseizure/consent.htm

They CAN consent to a fire department inspection. There was no criminal search done here. I'm not really sure why people get so friggin emo about this crap.

 

[ScoRas]

They CAN consent to a fire department inspection. There was no criminal search done here. I'm not really sure why people get so friggin emo about this crap.

that is absolutely true, and what happened in this case. I for one, am glad that a landlord would do something about a tenant storing LP in an apartment. I was only correcting some misinformation I read in this thread.

For the record, I have no problem with police or fire fighters.

 

[sweetcell]

i recently posted a picture of my two carboys (one with a blowoff tube) in a beer-appreciation thread of a music forum.

first comment? "looks like a meth lab".

 

[edmanster]

wasn't the brother-in-law FDA agent in breaking bad a homebrewer? The article should have mentioned that..lol..

 

[bernerbrau]

wasn't the brother-in-law in breaking bad a homebrewer? The article should have mentioned that..lol..

I remember that scene. Growlers, racking canes and airlocks everywhere. My wife goes, "See? I told you your beer setup looks like a meth lab!" Camera pans out and Hank Schrader is bottling homebrew. I just turned to her and gave her the biggest look of smug satisfaction I've ever given anyone.

 

[edmanster]

I remember that scene. Growlers, racking canes and airlocks everywhere. My wife goes, "See? I told you your beer setup looks like a meth lab!" Camera pans out and Hank Schrader is bottling homebrew. I just turned to her and gave her the biggest look of smug satisfaction I've ever given anyone.

Been a while since I seen it but wasn't it the same day he capped, that night they were bottle bombs and he thought they were guns? That's hollywood

 

[KYB]

I don't know much about making meth, but why does everyone think a damn turkey fryer kit = making meth. Yea, I'm definitely making meth in my driveway for everyone to see.. I would have been so pissed if that was me. No real evidence and they bust in.