Transcript Details
2ND ATTEMPT TO GET MY UNLAWFULLY SEIZED PROPERTY BACK THAT WAS STOLEN BY THE COPS
Summary
CHUCK BRONSON documents his second attempt to retrieve his cell phone, which he claims was unlawfully seized by police during a traffic stop he was live-streaming. He visits a police station to inquire about his property, is told it was not logged as impounded, and is directed to speak with a supervisor. Bronson alleges the phone contains "millions of dollars worth of evidence" and that its seizure and his subsequent arrest were acts of retaliation for his journalism and free speech.
Why it may matter: This content is relevant to the research theme as it details a First Amendment auditor's experience with alleged police misconduct, including unlawful seizure of property and retaliation for recording law enforcement. The creator's claims about evidence on his phone and his intent to file legal actions (state tort, federal 1983) highlight ongoing tensions between public recording of police and law enforcement actions, as well as the legal strategies employed by creators in response.
Full Transcript
I'm going to Taddle Tales. >> Can I help you? >> Um, yeah, I need to see if I can get my property back. >> You're trying to >> Trying to get my property back. >> Property back? So, we impounded your property? >> Yeah. >> Do you have a case number? >> Or seized it, however you want to look at it. >> I don't know if you want to try to go ahead and >> Excuse me, sir. Are you able to help me? >> I don't know if he can help you or not. He just kind of ignored me, so. >> Okay, give me just a minute. >> Okay. >> What property are you looking for? >> My cell phone. I went to the property yesterday, I don't know, District 2 or 3, whatever it is, on Falkenburg, and they said that the cop never turned it in, so to come here. And so, I was under the assumption that he just stole it and didn't turn it in, so that's what I'm trying to figure out. >> Let me see if I can find it, cuz I don't see anything impounded as far as the cell phone goes. But bear with me just a minute, all right? >> Thank you. Who do I talk to about getting this officer charged for theft? >> His supervisor. >> Is uh what shift do they work? Or his supervisor. >> I want to make sure that I'm looking at the correct information before I tell you. >> Yeah. >> Cuz I don't want to give you the wrong information. >> Sure. >> So, if that's it, I'll tell you. >> I gave him the case number that the other department gave me. >> You have to talk to the supervisor to figure out when that is. Is this who you're talking about? >> Unless you found my phone, then I don't need to, but >> Yeah. So, yeah, we'll have the supervisor call you. That squad's on duty right now, but they're not in the building. >> Okay, I don't have a number for them to call me, so cuz he stole my phone. >> Uh-huh. Sorry, I was like reading the numbers as you were saying them. >> And the phone has I'm a journalist and it's got millions of dollars worth of evidence and on it, you know, it's a major issue here. It's not just a petty theft. >> Ryan Wilkins? >> Yep. >> You want to get back with me? >> Yep. If you give me a card or number, email, anything I can use. I was a journalist recording a traffic stop and I was live streaming it and so he see he took my phone even though there's no evidence on the phone cuz I was live streaming it so the only evidence went straight to the internet. So there's no reason to even take the phone in the first place. >> So he she's going to message the supervisor cuz they're all in the office right now. >> Okay. >> I'll give you her information on this card here. >> Okay. >> So it's got her information, case number, the main line here that rings this phone, >> Okay. >> and then it's got the deputy's name on there for you. >> Awesome. >> So he's going to send um he's going to send the same person. >> She was there on scene so yeah. >> He's going to he's going to send her a message to let you know or let her know >> Okay. >> you want to speak with. >> Awesome. Thanks so much, appreciate it. Yeah, I still no phone. Not an evidence here either. Kind of fishy. Like does he think that a person's not going to come back for their property? You know what I mean? They already accessed it without a warrant, so I've already got evidence of that already, so The case is closed, so the court already closed the case. The prosecutor um filed a motion for no lay pross which means they're not pursuing charges at this time. I'm going to file a motion to dismiss it, get it completely dismissed, get the court to dismiss the case. But I wanted to attempt to try to get my property. Or when I file the motion to dismiss, I'm also going to file a motion to return my property, get the court involved in where is my phone. Where is the warrant that they used to access my device? You know, that kind of thing. Yeah. Um yeah, people are tuning in. I was recording a traffic stop a couple months ago. And it's not on Facebook, but it's on my YouTube. I was live to YouTube. Um the cop I was like 50 ft away. The cop tells me to get 25 ft away. Well, I'm already 50 ft away, so I moved to a different location. Cop continues to tell me to get 25 ft away. Now, I'm about 75 ft away. And then I said something to my live viewers. I said, uh, you know, this is what dirty cops do when they don't want the cameras around. And then he walks right over and arrests me for it. And so, of course, the state doesn't want to touch that. Um, they'd be pretty stupid to. I I ended up going to my arraignment hearing. I got put in jail. I bailed out. Um, I paid the bail. Warren Satt paid the bail. We paid the bail twice. I was able to recover my money for that mistake. Um, I had my arraignment hearing. I requested a jury trial, got denied. Requested a speedy trial, got denied. Um, I didn't get a Faretta inquiry, which is where they say, "Are you representing yourself or do you need a lawyer?" They never asked me that. They just skipped right over that. So, I ended up filing after that, I filed like, I don't know, six, seven, eight motions. And I don't know, a week later, the prosecutor did the nolle pros. Saying that they're not going to, you know, proceed with charges currently. But that kind of keeps the case open to where, you know, if if get me again for it, then they got two of them on me at the same time, you know, if they want kind of thing. So, that's why I'm going to file some more motions and but I wanted to tip to try to get my phone, see if they're just going to give it up, see if they're going to, you know, or if I need to go get charges on this cop for theft, you know, on on top of, you know, it's all part of step-by-step cuz I'm going to go after it, you know. I'm going to do a state tort and a federal 1983. Um cuz the entire thing was I they violated my rights. The cop's definitely going to lose qualified immunity. Um if you've seen the video, he takes 3 to 5-ft steps towards me, counts to 21, and and then arrest me. You know, like 3 to 5-ft steps is 1-ft each in his mind. Everybody that's seen it was like, "Oh my god." And so, I'm trying to, you know, recover my property. I'll never be able to use the property again. Um I won't be able to use that phone number. I won't be able to use that phone service, nothing. But I do have a lot of very important evidence on there that I, you know, for some cases I've been working on. Um so, that phone's worth, you know, millions to me. It was a brand new S25 phone, so there is some value with it, but if I don't get it back, but even if I do, I'm I can't use it again. I'm I can't trust that. There ain't no way cops get my phone even for 5 minutes that I would ever use it again. I'm just not. Even though I go out of my way to follow all laws in every day in my life, I don't care. Not going to happen. Not doing it. It's I just want my evidence back. And it's no evidence to do with this case, the reason why they took it, anything. So They're just doing it out of retaliation. It's just more retaliation. The arrest was retaliation for free speech. The you know, them turning off my live stream. They They shut down my live stream out of retaliation. They seized my phone unlawfully out of retaliation. This doesn't work. I'm See if I can't get a meeting with the sheriff himself to discuss the issue. Um I got a bunch of other issues too. But I'd like to get my device too. Most of my evidence, you know, instantly gets moved to different locations. Um and most of it that's on that device, I do have secondary copies already, but there is some that I don't, so that I would like to have. But I won't. Try to cool my phone down a little bit. It's I don't know. My car says 91 outside. I don't know. It's hot. It's hot. It's hot. It's hot. What else am I going to do? Um um um um um um um What else did I have? Yeah, I don't know why my phone crashed on the last live. I don't know if it got I don't think it got hot. It was a little warm, but it wasn't bad. I was I was on this street right here down there, just walking down the street and I don't know. Or they did something to zap it. Something to do with my live. You received 100 messages today with Restream. What's up, Jennifer? Clint Dave 91 in Clearwater also, so it must be close to accurate. Neveah Frank The news, where you been, the news? 100% Fourth Amendment Here I am. EJ I mean, the jail didn't have it. I did. I mean, I checked it there then. >> [snorts] >> And they said and I watched them process all my property. You know, they do it in front of you, so you can't say, "Oh, I had $10,000." You know. So, and that's that's the big thing is the jail doesn't have my phone. I was obviously live streaming with a cell phone when they arrested me. So, where did it go? You know. They can't say I didn't have one, right? If the jail had it, I would have got it when I got out. But, I could check back with them just to see if it appears. But, yeah, I don't know. Hello from the UK, Chris on Facebook. If you're just tuning in, people, rewind it to the beginning. But, this was my third notification on YouTube, so if I go live anymore, you will not get notified. Only on Facebook, Twitter, Kick, Twitch, Rumble will you be notified. So, if you get one of notifications, I'll be live on YouTube, too. You just won't be notified through YouTube. Cuz they only give us three a day. Three a day. That way we don't drive people crazy going live 25 times a day. But, I don't know. I'll uh I'll follow up and uh with these folks, and I'll let you know if I find something out. Or if they got it and I get to go collect it, I'll go live and let you watch it. Stay tuned. I'll be back. I didn't get it. I didn't get a personal effects paperwork. I didn't get anything like that like you normally would. Nothing. I did not get anything. What's up, Yvon, on Facebook? The real Not necessary. Yeah, good luck, I know.