Police in St. Paul, Minnesota put a sergeant on leave after he allegedly encouraged drivers to run over Black Lives Matter protestors who planned to shut down a bridge during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day demonstration, The Pioneer Press reported Tuesday.
Andrew Henderson, who the Pioneer Press reported often videotapes police officers to hold them accountable, first noticed a Facebook comment on a Pioneer Press news article about an unsanctioned Black Lives Matter protest. The comment, made under the account “JM Roth,” called the Black Lives Matter protestors “idiots” and instructed drivers to “run them over.”
Henderson saw the post early Saturday and named Sgt. Jeffrey M. Rothecker as the Facebook commenter when he reported it to the police department.
Henderson posted a video of his conversations with police about the comment, which included screenshots of the comment Rothecker allegedly posted:
The newspaper couldn’t reach Rothecker for comment. Chris Wachtler, an attorney for the local police union who represents Rothecker, told the Pioneer Press in a statement that an investigation was under way.
“We will let the process play out,” he reportedly said. “I can’t comment on an active investigation until it is complete.”
Both the comment and the “JM Roth” Facebook account have since been deleted.
He’s not merely suggesting that drivers run over innocent people, he’s advising them on how to get away with potentially killing people. He should lose his badge immediately.
Do You THINK so
Both the comment and the “JM Roth” Facebook account have since been deleted.
Wonder how many times it was ‘shared’ and with whom before it was deleted.
His tweet, “Follow them home and kill their pets” has somehow gone unremarked upon.
Sounds like incitement to commit bodily harm to me. He’s a sergeant which makes it worse since he’s a field supervisor, and has to post’s the get outta jail free card statement: “I was in fear of my safety and/or life.” Lastly, rely on a selective should you happen to get charged or sued, you can find a racially biased jury against blacks and minorities and receive NO sanctions.