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Couple Arrested For Asking For Directions

POSTED: 7:23 am EDT May 17, 2006
UPDATED: 10:52 am EDT May 17, 2006
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BALTIMORE -- Baltimore City police arrested a Virginia couple over the weekend after they asked an officer for directions.

WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team reporter David Collins said Joshua Kelly and Llara Brook, of Chantilly, Va., got lost leaving an Orioles game on Saturday. Collins reported a city officer arrested them for trespassing on a public street while they were asking for directions .

"In jail for eight hours -- sleeping on a concrete floor next to a toilet," Kelly said.

"It was a nightmare," Brook said. "I was in there thinking I was just dreaming and waiting to wake up."

Collins reported it was a nightmare ending to a nearly perfect day. He said the couple went to a company picnic and watched the Orioles beat Kansas City. It was their first trip to Camden Yards and asked two people for directions to Interstate 95 South when they left.

Collins said somehow they ended up in the Cherry Hill section of south Baltimore. Hopelessly lost, relief melted away concerns after they spotted a police vehicle.

"I said, 'Thank goodness, could you please get us to 95?" Kelly said.

"The first thing that she said to us was no -- you just ran that stop sign, pull over," Brook said. "It wasn't a big deal. We'll pay the stop sign violation, but can we have directions?"

"What she said was 'You found your own way in here, you can find your own way out.'" Kelly said.

Collins said the couple spotted another police vehicle and flagged that officer down for directions. But Officer Natalie Preston, a six-year veteran of the force, intervened.

"That really threw us for a loop when she stepped in between our cars," Kelly said. "(She) said my partner is not going to step in front of me and tell you directions if I'm not."

Collins reported the circumstances got worse. Kelly pulled 40 feet forward parking next to a curb and put his flashers on while Brook was on the phone to her father hoping he could help her with directions. Both her parents are police officers in the Harrisburg, Pa., area.

"(Brook's father) was in the middle of giving us directions when the officer screeched up behind us and got out of the car and asked me to step out. I obeyed," Kelly said. "I obeyed everything -- stepped out of the car, put my hands behind my back, and the next thing I know, I was getting arrested for trespassing."

"By this time, I was completely in tears," Brook said. "I said, 'Ma'am, you know, we just need your help. We are not trying to cause you any trouble. I'm not leaving him here.' What she did was walk over to my side of the car and said, 'Ok, we are taking you downtown, too.'"

Collins said the couple was released from jail without being charged with anything. Brook is now concerned the arrest may complicate a criminal background check she's going through in her job as a child care worker.

Collins said police left Kelly's car unlocked and the windows down at the impound lot. He reported a cell phone charger, pair of sunglasses and 20 CDs were stolen.

Baltimore City police said they are looking into the incident.

Copyright 2006 by TheWBALChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Unbelievable. Now that the name of the officer is out there, there had better be some sort of discipline.

jesus christ, could your thread titles be any bigger generalizations?


big deal, there are douchebag cops out there, is this really news?

I agree. Many cops in cities does a very very difficult job and, just like any profession from teachers to musicians, you are going to get assholes in there. It's unfortunate what happened, but I'm sure the vast majority of cops in Baltimore do a tough job well, and deserve better than to be called dirtbags.

If you've ever been to certain sections of Baltimore, you'll know that police douchebaggery is probably justified in some sections of the city.

Well, we still start threads when Bush says stupid stuff, and that's not really news either. It's part of our documentation of how quickly the world is going to shit.

Fixed.

jeez, what a douche

cops on powers trips...hmmmm...

you know, personal attacks like this against glorified_version can lead to a banning

i don't really blame the cops so much as i blame the rest of society. we've all put cops up on a pedestal because they 'regulate society, enforce laws and keep order' when really, they're human just like any of us and prone to error.

how 'bout the cop gets disciplined for this? if not, it's just another case of 'well, the cops deal with a lot of bad stuff, it's ok if they mess up every once in awhile' and that doesn't float with me.

We don't expect them to be saints, but they shouldn't fuck up like this while in uniform. There whole point is to "Protect AND serve", right? They should definitely try to keep that in mind as they go about their day.

Do people still teach their children that policemen are there to protect them, or do we just teach them to avoid them altogether?

don't talk to strangers!

I'm due for one anyway

What a jerk store cop.

We all like g_v, it's just playful banter... not personal attacks.

OK class, today's word is "douchebaggery."

I sure hope this IS news in a country like ours.

You're right though, no need to generalize all Baltimore police as incompetent.

My car was broken into a couple of years ago. A guy that I work with saw the guys that broke into it running off. Not more than 2 minutes later I flagged down a police officer and told him the guys that broke into my car couldn't be far away. The police officer told me I would have to call the station and get a different officer to come out..he drove away. Needless to say the perpetrators got away. My initial reaction was much the same as the person who started this thread....Springfield police are dirtbags, but the truth is that my positive experiences with the Springfield police far out number the negative. All police departments, fire departments, hospitals, video stores, grocery stores and just about every organazation you can think of has it's bad apples. Given enough time and experience with them, you will encounter these bad apples.