You don't think this is a retaliatory stop at all? What are you going to do on it? >> So, there is a police report that you're just refusing to give me? >> I'm not refusing to give you anything. >> Well, then why haven't I gotten it yet? I've requested it multiple times. >> Okay. And if it's in the system, then it's in the system. If I told you there's an issue with the system, I'm trying to resolve the system >> with the body cam. That's what you said the issue was with. So, you're telling me that since April of 23, >> you're telling me you got the document from me? >> I've got your email. Yeah. >> Okay. Where's it at? >> In my email. >> Okay. Will you show it to me? >> Why would I show it to you or not? >> So, you don't think I received the email? I don't know if you did or not, sir, but you're sitting at the station. >> Chief Jeremiah Thomas of the Le Ludichi, Georgia Police Department escalated a simple records request into a contentious confrontation by demanding identification without legal grounds. Chief Thomas sent an email acknowledging the request for the police report and body cam footage, apologizing for the inability to provide the footage while blaming Motorola for losing all dash cam footage for over a year. This response received after multiple ignored requests raised suspicions about the department's transparency in handling of the Benstruck case. According to Terry versus Ohio 392 US 1 1968, an officer may only demand identification if there is reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, which was absent in this case. The encounter began when a citizen sought a police report and body cam footage from an April 15th, 2023 incident involving Benstruck's wrongful DUI arrest. Chief Thomas threatened arrest for refusing to provide ID despite no evidence of a crime. His aggressive posture jumping out of his vehicle and accusing the citizen of harassing his clerk revealed an intent to intimidate rather than uphold the law. This blatant misuse of authority set the stage for exposing deeper corruption. >> You know what's pathetic? What's pathetic is you coming to the station and harassing my clerk? All >> so you witness the harassment? >> No, she called me on the phone and told me, "Sir, that's why you came here." >> I've got it on video. Does that camera in there work? >> Okay, come on. >> Then you've got it on video. I'm not going in there. You don't tell me where to go. Just tell me where the Are you going to give me the report? >> Ask you one more time. You can hand me your identification so I know who I'm dealing with. That's all I'm asking. This is your identification. >> I'm going to answer no. Unless you suspect me. Are you going to arrest me if I don't give you my ID? >> Why? Why am I not going to? >> You're not going to >> Why Why would I do that? >> Well, that's what I'm asking you. You're >> ask So, you're tell you're refusing to identify yourself? >> Are you going to arrest me if I don't identify myself? >> You pursue a name, right? Give me your original name. Are you going to arrest me if I don't give you my name? >> Sir, I ask you for your identification. >> Okay. And I'm asking you a question. Are you going to arrest me if I don't give it to you? >> Demand of identification is lawful order, is it not? >> Uh, no. You can't just walk up to somebody and and and demand their ID unless they've done something criminal. I haven't done anything criminal. >> You have not come up here and you have not you have not had arrest cases from my >> No. >> At all. >> No. I will fully completely deny that. The case of Benstruck arrested for DUI despite a toxicology report proving his sobriety pointed to systemic corruption protected by Chief Thomas under Brady vers Maryland 373 US 831 1963 law enforcement must disclose exculpatory evidence yet no evidence log existed for Struck's arrest. No flask, no marijuana, no body cam footage, not even a case number. Officer Jordan DLO, who made the arrest had a history of targeting sober individuals for DUI, yet rose from dispatcher to lieutenant in four years without performance reviews. Thomas' refusal to release records and his lies about Motorola's role shielded Delo's misconduct, hinting at a broader effort to protect problematic officers within the department. While heading home, the police chief pulled him over in what seemed like a retaliatory stop, demanding his identification to learn his name after he declined to provide it at the station. This action escalated their earlier confrontation over the record's request. >> I'm going to get an idea one way or the other, aren't you? Reason I stopped here. This stop sign here at South Main Street is a right turn only. The signs are fixed. Stop sign right. Observe you come straight across Highway 84 and turn into Parker Parker parking. So that's against it's against it's not is a moving violation. It's an autographed traffic control sign, which is the stop sign right here. South Main Street. Did you look? >> Yes, sir. The stop sign, South Main Street. >> The sign right below it has an arrow in it. Right. That has a a slash to where you can't turn left. The sign that's fixed to the pole is right before it says right, turn over. So, when you get to the stop sign, you have >> You can't go straight either. >> You can see right. >> All right. So, now you want my ID. >> Driver's license. You most certainly can. The insurance is on my phone, so I'll let you take it off the tag. I I believe you can do that, can't you? >> I will try. If it comes back, it comes back. If not, I would like to driver's license is in here. Okay. I'm going to reach for it. I Okay. Yes, sir. [Music] >> You don't think this is a retaliatory stop at all? >> No, you're going to do mine. So, you >> Cuz I came back out to ask you a question and you were lying and then you decided to follow me. >> No, sir. All I did was I came down, make a turn because I was going back to city hall just so you don't take that. Mr. Massie, and you reside at 615 Street, um Massie is the name. Yeah. Yeah. The addresses and everything's correct. Everything's delivery. Um my name and everything's correct. Yes. If you want me um doesn't sound I just read something else from you. Okay. All right. Well, that's nice. Might kind of listen. Listen to me. Please listen to me. I'm not here to warrant any of the information that you need. Okay? I'm not here to bother you. I'm not here to pest you. I did not do it egregiously to pull you over. You violated the sign. That's why I make the driver's comp. That's a lawful driver. Understood. Okay. You You came to ask a question. I'm currently at a city council meeting and I left to come over here. >> All right. My clerk said that you were harassing her. Okay. I'm not trying to deny you anything. All right. I tried to honor your request. There was an incident with our body footage cameras. Okay. Through Listen to me through >> through Motorola. I have no I have no no control over that. I don't >> I understand that and I I accept that. >> Right. So therefore, I'm willing to provide you as much information as I possibly can per the open records act police report. I mean I asked for it multiple times and you wouldn't give it to me. Do you not realize that's a violation? Mr. Are you above the law? >> Mr. Massie, would you like for me to continue, please? >> Would you would you have a dialogue with me and answer some of my questions? >> I am. And I'm trying I was trying to afford you the the copy of the report. Okay. Because there's an issue with our system, not just the body warn camera system, the document system. Okay. The reporting system that the documents went into. >> How long has that been happening? >> It's been going on since last year near November, October. >> So, how do you prosecute any cases without any paperwork? No, sir. You don't have a body cam. So, how do how do you where is it? >> Sir, that's irrelevant. I had a conversation with you this morning. Okay. Honestly, do you want you want what you came to ask for, did you not? I would love to get that, but I've asked for it for months and you never provided it. And now all of a sudden, when I come in person and you you asked a question, I'm answering it. >> Now, all of a sudden, when I come in person in regards to the report, I will very well try to attempt I've been trying to get you the report there. I'm not trying to delay. Okay. If I've been working with SSI, which is the interops, okay, to include freaking Motorola, which is the body cameras. All right. I've been dealing with a lot of confusion, a lot of cases and lawyers and everybody right now in regards to footage. And I promise you, you are not the only one. Okay. All right. So, you're still on the footage. >> Now, I understand that in regards to the report, if the report is in the system, >> if you have the date, provide me the date. Okay. I did on my understanding. All you got to do is just go back into your >> and do another request. >> You don't have to do another request. I'm looking for the date. That's what I'm saying. If it's not in there, then it was prior to me with the department. That's all I can tell you. >> Believe it was April 15th, 2023. Read with the department. No, sir. >> Okay. So, does all the old paperwork disappear when a new chief comes in? >> No, sir. It should not. >> Chief Thomas repeatedly ignored and delayed open records requests, violating Georgia's Transparency Laws. The Georgia Open Records Act OCGA section 51870 at secondate so mandates that public records be provided within three business days unless extenduating circumstances exist which Thomas never substantiated. From May to August 2024, emails requesting the report and footage went unanswered or were met with excuses about system failures in Motorola's alleged loss of body cam data. His claim that the report was inaccessible due to a system issue that he couldn't find for over a year. The department prosecutes >> the officer accuses Mr. Struck off of the drinking and driving having an open container and having >> okay that officer is no longer employed. That's the Now hear me. Hear me. The officer okay resigned. >> Okay. At the beginning near the beginning of this year. >> He is no longer employed here for for various reasons. >> Okay. I don't know what that has to do with his report. He didn't take it with him, did he? >> No sir. What I'm trying to tell you is I'm looking for the report. If you'd like to come to the station, I will do my best to assist you. >> I'm looking at you. >> Okay. Well, if that's what you like, I will >> I would prefer that. >> You're not saying that I'm not trying to freaking assist you. >> Can you see it from my vantage point? >> Because I can see it. >> You ignored emails. >> You could have You could have Yes, you did. I've got emails on here that I've sent. You didn't receive Mr. M. >> You're interrupting me again now. You asked me not to interrupt you. Have a dialogue. Just answer the questions. honestly and I will too. I'll be as honest with you as I choose to be and as I can be. There's some questions I won't answer, but I'll be as open and honest with you as I can be. I asked for that for in return. I sent you multiple emails. I followed up with the body cam email and I said, "Okay, you don't have that. I understand that." Okay. And you've got written proof of this, too. It should be in your inbox unless you can't keep up with those either. So I asked repeatedly afterward, if you don't have the body cam footage, then I would like all the reports. I would like the officers names that were involved in the arrest and the name will be on the report. >> Right. But you denied all of those. You haven't given anything. You didn't give a reason for it. You just ignored me. The only time you answered me is when I came confronted you face to face on recording. And the way you come rolling into the parking lot, you jumped out and you I I know the body language. You jump. Okay, I'm going to I'm going to get this guy. You came up pissed. You didn't you didn't I first you demean you? Did I act in any >> You accused me of harassment and then wouldn't tell me what harassment is. You demanded my ID and threatened to arrest me if I didn't give it to you. Um both of those or certainly the thereat >> it has to do with the whole situation with you being unwilling to cooperate and just give paperwork. You wanted to arrest me for something that's not a crime. It's not a crime to refuse to give you my ID if I haven't committed if I if I haven't uh if I'm not you didn't even have me detained much less I don't you need to detain you already detained by the presence of me talking to you >> so I was detained I wasn't trying to leave while you were talking to her then I wasn't detained you need to know your definition >> that wasn't a detention and you >> you're telling me there wasn't detention when you stayed there when I was talking >> I stayed there willingly that's stayed willing and then I live willingly but you're telling me that I overcame So no were you detaining and I have you detained. >> No. So I'm telling you that any stop right any stop right that stops you from any momentum is and could be a conceptual arrest could it not? >> No. >> Why? No it can't. >> Why? So in other words so you you don't feel detained if someone's having a conversation with you. That's the whole if you read the definition it states it. >> No it's not because if it's a detention I couldn't have left if I would wanted to. >> You did not have to be detained. Now, you just said you had me detained. So, that's what I'm saying. You should probably read up on that and work on your definition. It wasn't an arrest. It wasn't a detention. If it was, then then that's the weirdest arrest I've ever seen because I just walked away from it. Don't you think? Don't you think that's a little weird? And do you honestly think that you can walk up to somebody and just demand their ID and if they don't give it to you, they get to go they have to go to jail. >> If you haven't suspected them of any crime, >> you're not going to answer that, are you? It's not even It's not even So, but can you answer that? I would really like for you to answer that question. >> Do you really believe that you can go up and demand someone's ID and if they don't give it to you, you'll arrest them for billing your ID? You're not going to answer. Listen, they're supposed to. >> I'm not going to answer your question. If you're not going to answer, I'm not answering your question. >> Do you do you want me to email you that if I have it? If it's available, I will email it to you. >> You think I changed my mind for 5 minutes? I'm reading me. >> You threatened to arrest me. >> I threatened you. I >> You threatened to arrest me. You you you threatened to take my all of my freedom from me and then you were going to have my my vehicle towed. You would have probably searched incident to arrest Mr. >> M. Well, if we're done here, you're dismissed. >> I'm not dismissed. >> Okay, then. >> Okay. >> You're free to stay. You're free to go. >> You're dismissed. >> You're free to go, Mr. Chief Thomas' actions reflect a department riddled with corruption. From protecting rogue officers to aligning with a disgraced former chief. The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. Yet Thomas's retaliatory traffic stop and detention tactics violated these rights. His defense of officer Delo, who resigned and expressed disdain for Thomas while praising indicted former chief Robert Parker, suggested a network of loyalty over accountability. The absence of Thomas's training records or evaluations, unlike even the town's dog catchers, further eroded trust in his leadership. Through persistent pursuit of the truth, a fearless citizen uncovered a police chief more concerned with concealing misconduct than serving justice, proving that one determined individual can challenge systemic corruption.