foreign [Music] welcome to audit the audit where we sort out the who and what and the right and wrong of police interactions this episode covers horseback riding traffic laws and animal cruelty and is brought To Us by dreadhead Cowboys Channel be sure to check out the description below and give them the credit that they deserve in a video posted on August 18 2022 an officer from the Cook County Sheriff's Office witnessed equestrian Adam Hollingsworth who was known in the Chicago area as the dreadhead cowboy riding a horse on the right side of a Road located in Cook County Illinois and approached him in his Cruiser what up brother I can't stop I'm traveling bro I'm on my way to work I'm on my way to work I'm traveling bro I can't I'm running late I can't I can't I can't bro you don't never cut a horse hoe you never cut a horse off learn the law you never cut a watch out brother if you hurt my heart you're gonna get sued go ahead and hit my voice go ahead in my horse hey I'm traveling brother if I'm detained okay that's all you have to say okay why am I'm detained I'm traveling while I'm detained is it illegal is it illegal get a wife out here get away get a white shirt I'm not giving you nothing get a white shirt I'm not getting off nothing get a white shirt get a white shirt so he's refusing to stop when I stop to talk to him the officer claims it is illegal to ride a horse on a public Street and orders Mr Hollingsworth to display his driver's license and get off the horse although it is fairly unusual to encounter a horseback rider on a public Street in 2022 in most States including Illinois it is entirely legal to ride a horse on a road according to the rules of the road published by the Illinois Secretary of State quote horseback Riders may use public roadways the exceptions are controlled access highways and most expressways likewise section 11-206 of act 5 of title 625 of the Illinois compiled statute states that quote every person rioting an animal or driving any animal-drawn vehicle Upon A roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle except those Provisions which by their very nature can have no applique location under the statute it is generally legal for an individual to ride a horse on a public road but according to section 11-711 of act 5 of title 625 of the Illinois compiled statutes the Illinois Department of Transportation May prohibit the use of a so-called controlled access Highway by pedestrians bicycles farm tractors Implements of husbandry funeral processions and any vehicle unable to maintain the minimum speed for which the highway is posted or other non-motorized traffic such as Horses if the department determines to ban certain types of traffic on the highway it is legally required to erect and maintain official signs stating the applicable restrictions therefore as long as the road was not a controlled access Highway with properly erected signs Mr Hollingsworth was within his rights to ride a horse on it additionally while section 6-101 of act 5 of title 625 of the Illinois compiled statutes requires an individual to have a driver's license or permit to quote drive any motor vehicle Upon A Highway in this state and since section 6-1-12 states that drivers must display their license upon demand to police officers no such requirement exists for riding a horse although section 107-14 of act 5 of title 725 of the Illinois compiled statutes allows a peace officer to quote stop any person in a public place for a reasonable period of time when the officer reasonably infers from the circumstances that the person is committing is about to commit or has committed an offense and to quote demand the name and address of the person and an explanation of his actions the statute does not authorize officers to demand a driver's license or other identifying documents during the investigative detention for this reason it is likely that a court would conclude that Mr Hollingsworth was not required to give his driver's license to the officer even if Reasonable Suspicion existed to conduct the so-called traffic stop guitar sergeant lieutenant drivers I'm not giving you nothing listen can I get a Luke Sergeant loosen over here I don't want to talk I'm traveling I'm running late for work I'm traveling I got it don't matter it don't matter okay get a white shirt over here get a lieutenant over here why are we still talking y'all don't even know who I am and y'all want to bargainy we're trying to find it don't matter it don't matter who I am it don't matter who I am y'all detect me for no reason bro I'm gonna beat y'all listen y'all gonna let me go in a minute I'm gonna be let loose in a minute don't touch my horse don't touch my horse God don't touch my horse you carry my horse you scan my heart whoa I'm not parking I'm parked right now so what's the problem y'all stop in traffic for me for me traveling bro do y'all know the law do y'all know the law do you know the love y'all can make a Y'all Gonna Make a donkey out of yourself y'all don't even know who I am God listen I prove cops like you that I don't know the law and y'all just pulled people over wasting my time wasting my time for what you never cut in front of a horse learn the law you never turn your tablet going on a horse you never blow a horn on a horse because you can start on my horse show me something that said what can't be on the street Mr Hollingsworth argues that the law prohibits the officers from cutting in front of a horse or activating their Sirens or blowing their horn on a horse the Illinois Secretary of State's rules of the road instructs drivers to quote never sound a horn when near a horse or other livestock as the sound May frighten it and cause a crash and to meet or pass horseback riders with caution being prepared to stop while there do not appear to be any statutes that specifically codify these requirements section 11-703 of act 5 of title 625 of the Illinois compiled statute states that quote a person driving a motor vehicle shall not in a reckless manner Drive the motor vehicle unnecessarily close to toward or near a bicyclist pedestrian or a person riding a horse or driving an animal-drawn vehicle a violation of this statute is a class A misdemeanor if it does not cause quote great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to another at a Class III felony if it does although section 11-205 of act 5 of title 625 of the Illinois compiled statutes authorizes emergency vehicles such as police cruisers to disregard certain traffic regulations when responding to an emergency call or when in the pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law the general rule is that the traffic code applies to quote the drivers of all vehicles owned or operated by the United States this state or any County City Town District or any other political subdivision of the state additionally the statute clarifies that even when emergency vehicles are permitted to disobey traffic laws they are not relieved from quote the duty of driving with due regard for the safety of all persons and are not protected quote from the consequences of his Reckless disregard for the safety of others under these statutes it is certainly possible that a court could determine that the officer recklessly drove his Cruiser unnecessarily close to a person riding a horse when he cut Mr Hollingsworth and his horse off with his Cruiser yeah I don't even know a lot why do they let y'all get these Badges and y'all don't know the law that that's not good do you know before they would cross over transportation before that listen okay bro y'all just learned a lot before when they come down to horses man I have roll rights I'm traveling as soon as your white shirt gonna get here he's gonna let me go and you wasted my time and that's a lawsuit I'm gonna sue you I'm gonna sue you and I'm gonna sue you and I'm gonna see your department cause y'all wasting my time I'm running late for work I might I might lose my job now I think I'll bring it more about 50. okay but I got six cars now and then you're gonna cut my horse off he don't even do that was just trying it was that that I know this business I'm concerned [Music] but it's not illegal though it's not illegal he took my wife off that animal cruelty right there and I'm actually going to stop no he didn't tell me he if I'm detained I thought when he told me I was detained I all right did I do right yeah okay I'm cut in front of my horse I want I wanted to press charged on him animal cruelty um [Music] I don't know what happened with this now he's cool but the officer right there he actually cut my horse off and my horse actually flipped itself do that no you're good brother thank you Sarge thank you Hey Hey listen write that ticket write your ticket I got your boss man I apologize man but how much they both I'm I'm going back for him because he don't probably cut my horse off he don't put nothing that's actually animal cruelty because my horse Crips itself when he just did that Mr Hollingsworth claims that the officer who cut his horse off with the cruiser committed animal cruelty because the horse quote clipped himself it appears that Mr Hollingsworth is referring to a form of interference which is the technical term for when a horse's Hooves collide with one another or with its legs clipping also known as brushing is a type of interference where the left and right feet strike each other and even a single instance of interference can potentially cause injury to a horse the Humane Care for Animals act which is codified in Acts 70 of title 510 of the Illinois compiled statutes prohibits cruelty to animals and creates several different crimes involving the abuse and neglect of animals for instance section 3.02 states that quote no person may intentionally commit an act that causes a companion animal to suffer Serious injury or death and classifies relation of the statute is a class IV felony and section 3.03 defines the class III felony offense of animal torture as knowingly or intentionally subjecting an animal to extreme physical pain that is motivated by an intent to increase or prolong the pain suffering or Agony of the animal Section 3 also requires that quote each owner shall provide for each of his or her animals a sufficient quantity of good quality wholesome food and water adequate shelter and protection from the weather veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering and Humane care and treatment however the statute that is most likely to apply in this situation is section 3.01 which makes it a Class A misdemeanor for any individual to quote beat cruelly treat torment starve overwork or otherwise abuse any animal or for the owner of an animal to abandon it quote where it may become a public charge or may suffer injury hunger or exposure although the statute does not identify a required mental state for an individual to be under Section 4-3 of act 5 of title 720 of the Illinois compiled statutes an individual must act intentionally knowingly or recklessly in order to be convicted of an offense where the statute does not prescribe a particular mental state although it is possible that Mr hollingsworth's horse could have been injured by any clipping that was caused by the officer cutting them off with his Cruiser given the statutory definitions of animal cruelty it seems unlikely that a court would find the officer's actions Rose to a criminal level absent any evidence that the officer was attempting to injure the horse or at the very least knew his actions could place the horse in danger of being injured yeah yeah [Music] this one it wasn't illegal which um right now it ain't illegal I tell people there's a lot of livestock laws still in Chicago complain on that officer right there now he cut my horse off okay I got you I can leave okay y'all y'all have a go all right boss man appreciate it now right here I got this I got you [Music] y'all didn't cut my horse off that's animal cruelty right there and I'm not done with it I'm going back and I need I want to pray I want to press charges on me after the interaction Mr Hollingsworth was allowed to leave and continue to ride his horse on the road it is unclear whether Mr Hollingsworth has taken any legal action or filed an official Complaint regarding the incident overall the Cook County officers who initially stopped Mr Hollingsworth get a c-minus for falsely claiming it was illegal to ride a horse on the road illegally detaining Mr Hollingsworth for doing so and demanding that Mr Hollingsworth displays driver's license when he was not required to do so because he was riding a horse although I understand that the officer likely does not encounter horses on the road on a regular basis there is no justification for an officer not knowing the law and subjecting a citizen to an illegal detention because of their ignorance the officers also maintained a hostile and kind of sending attitude toward Mr Hollingsworth and it's easy to see why he wanted to file a complaint on the other hand the officers who responded after Mr Hollingsworth was detained particularly the lieutenant get an A for agreeing that Mr Hollingsworth was legally authorized to ride his horse on the road maintaining a professional and friendly demeanor throughout and quickly addressing Mr hollingsworth's concerns about the officer who cut him off in many of the interactions that we have reviewed on this channel we have seen backup officers and supervisors arrive on the scene after an interaction has already begun and blindly support the detaining officers positions even when they lack Merit and are verifiably inaccurate this encounter was a refreshing departure and I applaud these officers for their willingness to disagree with their colleagues Mr Hollingsworth gets an a for maintaining a calm and respectful demeanor through the interaction refusing to provide his driver's license when he was not required to do so and repeatedly attempting to educate the officers on the legality of riding a horse on the road although Mr Hollingsworth may have have overestimated the extent of traffic laws involving horses and animal cruelty he demonstrated a clear understanding of his legal Road rights and refused to back down when faced with multiple officers claiming he did not have them I commend Mr Hollingsworth for his fortitude and I hope that the officers involved in this counter walked away with a better understanding of not only the state's traffic laws but also the types of behaviors that can be dangerous when horses are involved in a traffic stop let us know if there is an interaction or legal topic you would like us to discuss in the comments below thank you for watching and don't forget to check out my second channel for even more police interaction content [Music] foreign [Music]