Judge restores hospital leader's driver's license
By John Hacker
Wednesday, Jan 11, 2017 at 8:35 AM
http://www.carthagepress.com/news/20...rivers-license
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A judge said a Joplin police officer made mistakes while administering the standard field sobriety test to Mercy Carthage President Scott Watson during a traffic stop last July which resulted in Watson's arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
A judge of proven corruption let off a former Newton County Prostitutor Scott Watson who refused to allow a breathalyser test and thus was to be administratively lose his license for a full year for that refusal according to law. The crooked judge and crooked connected former prostitutor instead claimed that these revenue-thieving piglice must have made some "procedural mistake" in the shakedown by the pig who caught Watson.
Watson declined to take a breath test in the back seat of a patrol car that night, triggering a state law which can result in immediate suspension of one's driver's license, but Watson and his attorney asked for an administrative hearing to review the traffic stop.
The state law states that yes, you can refuse to take your chances with a trial if you think you might fail the test, but the result is that by doing so your license is administratively suspended for a full year, with no exceptions. Watson and Watson's weasel lawyer then decided to have an administrative hearing before one of their fellow lawyers, in this case a crooked judge from outside the district to give them a pass.
That hearing was held on Dec. 22, 2016 and Senior Judge Charles Curless set aside the Missouri Department of Revenue's decision to revoke Watson's drivers license and Watson's license and record be fully restored.
The law was set aside in favor of Watson getting to now have a "administrative" hearing before a sympathetic crooked lawyer acting as a "judge" after the fact and before a fellow member of the bar.
Family night
Watson told The Carthage Press he went to Turtleheads, a Joplin night spot on Hearnes Boulevard north of I-44, that evening with his family to a karaoke night and he admitted to drinking two alcoholic drinks between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. the evening of July 1, but he said he was not drunk when he got in his truck after midnight to drive home to Carthage.
Watson said he told his children shortly after midnight that he was tired and he and his wife left the club at about 12:20 a.m. July 2.
Watson got a text message on his phone while getting into his car from a friend warning that Joplin officers were stopping motorists leaving Turtleheads that morning, and as he pulled out of the parking lot, Watson said he saw a Joplin police car pull in behind his truck.
The officer followed him through two stop signs and two traffic signals before Watson got onto I-44 at Hearnes Boulevard. The patrol car continued following him to the Range Line interchange where it activated its lights and pulled Watson over at the 9.4 mile marker.
Traffic stop
Watson said the officer asked him for his drivers license and insurance card. When the insurance card turned out to be expired, Watson showed the officer on the insurance app on his phone that the insurance was up to date.
Then the officer asked Watson to step out of his car into the rainy night on the side of the interstate.
Watson said he submitted to four field sobriety tests, which the officer said he failed. He said the officer put him in handcuffs in the back of the patrol car before asking if he would take the Breathalyzer test, which he refused.
"People say, why didn't you take the test?" Watson said. "Here's the answer, I knew from the first examination that this was an officer who, I'm not going to say was not trained, but he'd already made at least two significant errors. Not only that, I'm already in handcuffs. If I would have taken the test and blown a .02, is he going to unarrest me? No, I don't think so."
Resolution
Watson said the case took longer than it should have to resolve because of conflict of interest rules and Watson's past career.
Watson said the administrative hearing was held in county court because that's where administrative hearings are held, but the case was initially sent to Jasper County, which was a mistake because the entire incident took place in Newton County.
When it was moved to Newton County, a new judge and prosecutor had to be called in because of Watson's background as former Newton County Prosecuting Attorney.
Special treatment?
Watson's attorney, Joplin attorney Judd McPherson, said people were commenting on social media and local blogs that Watson received special treatment, but everyone who is arrested for a DWI is entitled to the same hearing Watson received.
"A lot of people were saying why does he get a hearing on his case," McPherson said. "Everyone is entitled to a hearing. Special treatment would have been calling someone to come pick him up. If special treatment is arresting someone when it turns out the probable cause wasn't there to begin with, by all means, don't ever give me special treatment."
Watson said the incident was a learning experience, and he was heartened to see how his friends and co-workers stuck by him.
"Do I wish it had never happened?" he said. "Yeah. But I knew I hadn't done anything wrong. It's not against the law to stay out until 12:15 a.m. I had the full support of my employer and they've been good to me. On the other hand, I don't have any animus whatsoever toward the officer. Everybody makes mistakes, I make mistakes every day, so when a guy makes a mistake, you have to cut him a break. It is what it is."
Mercy McCune-Brooks administrator's driver's license hearing moved to Newton County
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