Butler man charged in confrontation with cops
Waukesha - A Butler man who claims to be a sovereign citizen refused to cooperate with Butler police officers Jan. 28 leading to a struggle that left one officer injured.
According to the criminal complaint filed Jan. 30 in Waukesha County Circuit Court, at about 11 p.m. a Butler officer saw a car driven by Richard P. Hessil, of 12874 Lancaster Ave., with a burned out headlamp. The officer believed Hessil had a suspended driver's license and knew Hessil "to be confrontational with law enforcement as he is a sovereign citizen," the complaint said.
According to the FBI website sovereign citizens are defined as "a loose network of individuals" that "believe that federal, state, and local governments operate illegally." Typically they do not pay their taxes and regularly create false license plates, driver's licenses, and even currency, the website said.
The officer attempted to stop Hessil but he continued to drive on even though the officer had activated his emergency lights and siren, the complaint said.
The officer saw Hessil drive through two stop signs and saw Hessil pull into his residence where he walked "swiftly" toward his open garage, the complaint said.
The officer noted he was unsure if Hessil had a weapon or was going to his house to get one and he ordered Hessil to stop, the complaint said.
"Get off my property, you have no authority to be here," Hessil told the officer, the complaint said. The officer grabbed Hessil who told the officer, "You can't arrest me," the complaint said.
As Hessil refused to cooperate and the officer warned him he would be struck with a knee in order to get his compliance, the complaint said. Hessil refused and was hit by the officer's knee, the complaint continued.
A second officer arrived and the confrontation continued and at one point when Hessil went to the ground after being hit by a knee, Hessil fell on top of the second officer. Hessil was pulled off the officer but Hessil "backed down" onto the fallen officer's leg twisting it "at a weird angle," the complaint said.
The officer is believed to have suffered a torn ligament in his right knee and Hessil suffered a possible fractured rib, the complaint said.
Hessil was charged with a felony count of resisting an officer causing a soft tissue injury to an officer, and misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and failure to obey a traffic signal.
The FBI website states sovereign citizens commit more severe crimes "from financial scams to impersonating or threatening law enforcement officials."
"The FBI considers sovereign-citizen extremists as comprising a domestic terrorist movement," the website said.
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