Covington VA –-(Ammoland.com)- As you may recall from last year, Virginia gun owner Robert Dicken went into a 7-11 and was “swatted” by an anti gun activist.
The Fairfax County police stopped Robert on his motorcycle a few blocks away from the 7-11. Fortunately for Robert, the police were very professional and handled the stop without putting Robert’s life in danger by pointing guns at him.
(It helped that Robert carefully complied with all orders.)
Robert’s alleged assailant (for lack of a better word) spent the last 2-1/2 months in jail awaiting his court date, which happened yesterday. The defendant was found not guilty because the Court felt that the police did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was the one that made the swatting call, even though he had stated his name on the 9-1-1 recording and had made the call using his girlfriend’s cell phone.
Hopefully the ordeal, nonetheless, will discourage such behavior in the future, which could easily lead to an innocent gun owner being killed.
Recorded 911 Call
About:
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right. Visit: www.vcdl.org
I was at the VCDL meeting and listened to the 911 call. The swatter is a loon, with many a screw loose. The judge finding him not guilty even though he stated his name and called from his GFs phone was the real travesty. Listen to the 911 call, I would have taken the insanity defense. And after listening to the call decide what kind of girl would be his GF.
First of all “SWAT” is in capital letters. Secondly, it doesn’t always help to comply with orders. Especially if those giving orders aren’t “professional” and the orders are illegal.
Otherwise good news. I agree with all the comments. Yeah, you couldn’t “prove” it was him on the call. Still….
How could he have been found “not guilty” if he stated his name on the 911 call (it could be voice printed) and the call was made from his girlfriend’s phone? That judge should be kicked off of the bench.
better be with at least 10 years probation he got off too easy. Just like the news reporters that trespass and get released by liberal judges that believe its okay to trespass to make a story of security and got caught.
Perhaps the money and time that would be spent on doing voice print analysis, having expert witness testify, etc etc could be spent elsewhere.
I hope the man files a civil lawsuit against the creep.
Not to mention ALL the dispatchers know him by voice because he calls all the time to complain on the cops. Ridiculous. But knowing courts as I do, there was most likely some unspoken reason the Judge gave him a pass. I understand he has mental health issues.
My question:
Does Robert have the ability to file a civil case against this ‘individual’?
Theory being that if we can’t hit them with jail time, maybe we can hit them in the wallet….
Douch bags like that never learn, you can bet he will do it again to another person That has a CCW. What needs to happen to things like this one is a good old fashioned beat down by a bunch of people wearing sheets, or maybe a nice long walk in the desert, even a swim in the local swamp might do him some good. either way he needs to learn that swatting is against the law. People and things that do these swatting calls care nothing for the law anyway. It will be a sure thing that somewhere down… Read more »
He should have been convicted and spent 2-1/2 YEARS (minimum) in jail for making false reports and endangering the victim (and the cops and the public) by trying to incite a violent encounter.
lets see, they had his girlfriends cell number, he also gave his name on the 911 call,
and they could not prove he made the call? whats wrong with that picture?
and a lousy 2 months in jail, for an act that could have very easily turned into
a first degree murder charge. they need a law passed now, with a minimum
of five years for something so serious, and life, if it turns out to be murder by cop.
Criminal convictions require proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Anyone at all can claim to be anyone else on a cell phone. That the call was made from his girlfriend’s cell doesn’t in any way mean he and she were the only ones who had access to that cell phone.
What was done was wrong, and dangerous.
But just as we demand that proof against us be conclusive, we must demand the same of evidence against others.
Yes.. no evidence is ever enough… given that logic.
911 calls are recorded. Each and every one of us can be IDd with voice matching technology………beyond a reasonable doubt.
I hope the idiot dropped the soap while he was locked up.
In other words “Rumor Mongering”…
At least the crazy sob did 2 and a half months in jail. The judge/court must be gun-grabbing parasites ! You can tell 911 don’t even believe the astard.