The Trooper Lies

These are excerpts from the transcript of my trial:


The entire transcript is not transcribed here for the sake of space and in the interest of brevity.
A complete transcript may be received via FAX upon request. Contact me at the e-mail address listed below.
I admit to looking at the paperwork in my car, and having trouble with the passenger side window.
But nowhere do I admit to crossing into another lane of travel, nor losing control of my vehicle in the gusty winds.


From page 1, beginning with line 22:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY: ...And how long in law enforcement?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: About a year and a half now.
That meant when he stopped me in February he had about a year with the State Patrol. The next page establishes that he was on duty that day and stopped me in Morgan county and is omitted for brevity, as are further similar sections.

From page 3, beginning with line 13:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY: ...Do you recall, Trooper, what drew your attention to the Defendant’s vehicle that day?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: The Defendant’s vehicle was weaving over to the right and crossing the center line.
That is a lie, and I tried to contest it in cross examination, and in my testimony. The judge didn’t believe me because I wasn’t the officer (whom the judge claimed testified eloquently, even though it was all a pack of lies and I catch him in a different lie later, demonstrating his propensity to lie!)

From page 4, beginning with line 8:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY: ...How many times did you observe the Defendant’s vehicle crossing over to the right hand lane?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: Four times.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Okay. Do you recall what the weather was like that day?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: It was gusty wind conditions.
That is true, and I tried to show in cross examination and in my testimony that this was the sole reason for any weaving. Again the judge didn’t believe me because I wasn’t the officer. However, I only looked at the paperwork beside me twice. Had that been the cause of my weaving, I would only have crossed the centerline twice, if indeed I had crossed the centerline at all. There was another cause for the weaving of my vehicle that day, and the trooper admitted to the gusty winds.

From page 5, beginning with line 14:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY: ...And what distance were you behind the Defendant’s vehicle?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: I was probably about two car lengths behind the Defendant’s vehicle.
Remember that we were traveling at 75mph. Later in cross examination I tried to show that two car lengths was too close.

From page 6, beginning with line 11:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY: ...what did you do at that point?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: At that point ... I noticed a Chevy Suburban coming up in the right hand lane, starting to approach both of our vehicles ... so I activated my overhead lights...
So why did he pull me over? We were traveling the speed limit. So, if indeed there was a vehicle coming up to pass us, wasn’t that vehicle speeding? The real truth is, I had just entered the freeway and the Suburban is a vehicle I pulled out to pass because it was going too slow. I had done nothing illegal, but the trooper apparently didn’t like the fact that I had gotten my beat-up little Metro up to freeway speed right after getting on and wanted to find some reason to stop me. I have since been informed by a sheriff’s deputy in Larimer County that the Patrol profiles inexpensive, beat-up vehicles, rather than the stereotypical souped-up sports cars. They supposedly do this because they are looking for the poor people who don’t carry insurance. I do have insurance on my car; still do, even though I can’t drive my car, because the law requires it and I know it will be easier to continue my coverage, rather than trying to get new coverage after all this malarky is over. Besides, it is the right thing to do! As opposed to going around trying to find ways to ruin other people’s lives.

On page 7, the trooper identifies me as the driver he stopped that day.
From page 8, beginning with line 3:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Did the Defendant say anything to you, give an explanation of his actions?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: Yes. He asked me why I pulled him over. I told him that I pulled him over because he was weaving. At this point he stated that wind was causing the vehicle to weave...
Which is the absolute and only truth.

On page 9, the trooper describes writing the citation for careless driving, and then I start my cross-examination.
From page 10, beginning with line 3:
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: Where did I enter the highway?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: I don’t know.
Which is incredible, because he watched me get on the freeway from Highway 34 while he was waiting in the emergency cross-over/turn-around. He’s lying again, but to cover up what? Either that, or he really wasn’t as observant as he claimed to be!

From page 10, beginning with line 20:
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: And, how close behind my vehicle did you come?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: I was about (pause) what do you mean by come?
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: Well, you had mentioned earlier about being two car lengths behind...
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: That is correct, two car lengths.
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: Is that a standard distance for you to follow?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: It is a safe (empasis added) distance.
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: Do you really think that is a safe distance?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: Yes, I do.
Which is incredible. At 75mph he should be at least 7-8 car lengths, according to statutes and driver’s manual guidelines. He was either lying again, or he really didn’t know what he was talking about!

From page 11, beginning with line 15:
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: How fast do you think the wind was blowing that day/
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: I have no idea.
So what else is new!

Continuing with line 22:
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: Were you aware that there were weather reports that reported winds in excess of 70mph in Morgan County?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: No, I wasn’t.
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: Were you aware of any accidents on Interstate 76 in Northeastern Colorado on that same day?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: No, I am not.
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: Are you aware that there were accidents between Brush and Fort Morgan?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: I am not aware of any that day.
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: Are you aware that there were accidents beyond Brush, going towards Sterling?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: No.
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: Confirmed by the State Patrol as being caused by the wind?
TROOPER JOHN TAKAHASHI: I am not aware of that.
Just what WAS the trooper aware of that day? I think it was how many more tickets he needed to write that day to make his quota!

Starting on page 14, line 14, begins my testimony:
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: ...On the day in question, on the 22nd of February, I entered Interstate 76 from Highway 34. And, I was following behind (a vehicle). For all I know, it might have been the van the officer is referring to ... The (vehicle) was doing about 30mph the entire time on the ramp from Highway 34. It’s a 50mph speed zone on that ramp. So, once we got on the freeway and we had both gotten into the right lane, I pulled into the left lane, and observed the officer parked in the median. (He had his radar gun up, but previously denied he was running radar.) I double checked my speed at that point. I was doing about 70. I said (to myself) okay, well, I’m not doing anything wrong, so I proceeded down the freeway in the left lane. I was driving a vehicle (pause) a Geo Metro. You can just about pick up the back end of the vehicle by yourself. Very light, very low powered vehicle ... (on) the one I was driving ... the suspension was all out of whack, and the windows did not roll up or down properly. Very frustrating. It was a borrowed vehicle and I was driving it on a windy day, the speed of the wind I can only estimate, because I know the effects of high wind on high profile vehicles, and this was a very light vehicle. I did have business papers in the seat beside me, and I did check (twice only) to make sure that I had them all in order before I went on to pick up my son ... At no time, your Honor, did I cross the center line. I did notice that the wind was buffeting me and pushing me towards the right side of the road, and I did correct it and come back into the middle of the lane. The officer’s estimation of his distance behind me ... was probably about right. He was very much on my tail. When I went to driving school, I learned that you follow one vehicle behind for every ten miles an hour of speed, which probably meant that he should have been seven vehicles behind me ... The officer came up ... and at that time he informed me that he was going to charge me with weaving, or careless driving, or something along those lines, and I said it was the wind. And it was! ...every time I went by a guard rail, the vehicle would move two to three feet to the right....
I now skip to part of the DA’s cross-examination.

Starting on page 17, line 13:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY: You don’t feel that you ever crossed out of your lane?
THOMAS BLICKHAHN: No.

The closing comments were each pretty one sided and basically covered the preceding testimonies. The judge believed the trooper’s lies and found me guilty. I appealed, and mostly because I couldn’t afford a lawyer to prepare the appeal properly, the appeal failed. If you got bucks, you can beat the system. If you’re broke, the system will beat you to a bloody pulp!

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