Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
I was just going to leave this alone, but after my comments against southerners in another thread, I felt I should at least partly expain my aversion toward that area, aside from the bigotry, racism, narrowmindedness, and the intolerably hot and humid summer weather.
In 2002, I had a business buying hay from KS and MO to resell to better-to-do horse people in the Colorado Springs/ Castle Rock area. I was doing ok, even made enough money to afford a bigger trailer. In NOV02 I went (came?- I'm here, again) to Sikeston MO to one of the factories and picked up the trailer, which was an 18ft 12K-lb flatbed. Not the most ideal, but I had an 11ft flatbed on the truck, so it balanced out- I could still haul 8-10 tons at a time, and planned on working up to a GN flatbed in the 30ft range. I had picked up my trailer, and was on the way to Mom's house, when I decided to stop by and visit a friend I hadnt seen in a few years. As I was driving on the outer road, a 96-ish Dodge 1/2 ton came at me, half in my lane. He DIDNT move over, so I hit the brakes to lessen the impending impact. The rig pulled to the right, dropped all the wheels on the soft shoulder, and ended up losing it for a few seconds, I swerved across the road and back twice before landing on the bank of a 12ft deep drainage ditch. Old man just kept tooling along, didnt stop or nothing. I went to the fertilizer place half a mile away to call the state patrol, and the dispatcher said she'd send someone out right away. Being next to a major highway (US 60, I wa on the outer rd), I figured I'd see someone in a few minutes. Waited half an hour; no one showed. I called a friend of mine to come pull me out, and him getting there, deciding how to do it, etc, took another 20 minutes. Still no patrolman. So I took the truck and trailer to my firend's (the one I was on the way to visit) shop to check out the front end of the pickup, and make sure everything else was still ok. While en route, I noticed the same Dodge pickup behind me that had run me off the road before. I stopped, making no real effort to get out of the way, but still allowing pasage if the guy REALLY wanted to push it. I walked up to the driver's window, and asked if he's been there half an hour or a little more before.
"Yes. "
You see that pickup and trailer go into the ditch?
"What? I didnt see nothin'. I never seen that pickup before in my life, or that trailer. " His tone and demeanor has changed considerably, so I asked if he had seen the skidmarks where I had left the road.
"I didnt see no skid marks. "
Sir, if you missed THEM, you have no business driving.
"I dunno why you had to dodge me, there was plenty of room for you to get by. "
So you WERE there?
"yes. "
I aksed him for insurance information, and he refused. I offered to let him give me a couple hundred dollars cash, and leave the law (which we later found out he basically OWNED, via campaign contributions) out of it. He didnt like that idea.
We went around for a couple minutes. He kpet telling me to take his license number and turn that in. I asked him what good that would do. (I was genuinely curious- what good would it HAVE done? Cant get an agent to file a claim from a license number).
I gave up, and turned to go back to my pickup. About the time I got to the front of his pickup (I had been at his driver's door), he got out, and stumbled, tripped on his own feet, somehow ended up on his back out of the truck. I offered him a hand, and got a dirty look. I thought "screw you" then, and went back to my pickup after making sure he was up and alive. I moved my pickup off the road, and went about my day, intending to file a report later, and try to get some insurance info- it was Mom's pickup that had been mangled around, and if I hadnt tried to contact the, SHE would have.
I called the partol about an hour later, after several attempts from my firend's house to get through. They referred me to the Stoddard County Sheriff's Office. (The slickness of this move will come to light later in the saga. ) So I called the SC sheriff's office, and told them my story. AFter the dispatcher took my name and address, she told me it was a Patrol matter, call them back. OK
Something wasnt adding up, but alas, I was still young and naieve, I was about to get a WHOLE lot wiser... ... ...
I had left my trailer at my firend's house, as Mom's was in no shape to tow a trailer, or I at least wanted to get it checked out. I had to repair some wiring from the accident, and was getting it all back together. Sheriff's Deputy pulls up and tells me he wants to talk to the owner of the trailer. I told him that would be me. "Well, we're here to arrest ya. " Mind if I ask why? "The old man you got into the argument with yesterday pressed charges against ya, and I's here to take you in, and we'll see if we cant get it taken care of. " THere were two of them, and the pickup would only go 100, so I figured, keep cool now, the time will come to fight this, like in a court room. I didnt see daylight for a month... ... .
In 2002, I had a business buying hay from KS and MO to resell to better-to-do horse people in the Colorado Springs/ Castle Rock area. I was doing ok, even made enough money to afford a bigger trailer. In NOV02 I went (came?- I'm here, again) to Sikeston MO to one of the factories and picked up the trailer, which was an 18ft 12K-lb flatbed. Not the most ideal, but I had an 11ft flatbed on the truck, so it balanced out- I could still haul 8-10 tons at a time, and planned on working up to a GN flatbed in the 30ft range. I had picked up my trailer, and was on the way to Mom's house, when I decided to stop by and visit a friend I hadnt seen in a few years. As I was driving on the outer road, a 96-ish Dodge 1/2 ton came at me, half in my lane. He DIDNT move over, so I hit the brakes to lessen the impending impact. The rig pulled to the right, dropped all the wheels on the soft shoulder, and ended up losing it for a few seconds, I swerved across the road and back twice before landing on the bank of a 12ft deep drainage ditch. Old man just kept tooling along, didnt stop or nothing. I went to the fertilizer place half a mile away to call the state patrol, and the dispatcher said she'd send someone out right away. Being next to a major highway (US 60, I wa on the outer rd), I figured I'd see someone in a few minutes. Waited half an hour; no one showed. I called a friend of mine to come pull me out, and him getting there, deciding how to do it, etc, took another 20 minutes. Still no patrolman. So I took the truck and trailer to my firend's (the one I was on the way to visit) shop to check out the front end of the pickup, and make sure everything else was still ok. While en route, I noticed the same Dodge pickup behind me that had run me off the road before. I stopped, making no real effort to get out of the way, but still allowing pasage if the guy REALLY wanted to push it. I walked up to the driver's window, and asked if he's been there half an hour or a little more before.
"Yes. "
You see that pickup and trailer go into the ditch?
"What? I didnt see nothin'. I never seen that pickup before in my life, or that trailer. " His tone and demeanor has changed considerably, so I asked if he had seen the skidmarks where I had left the road.
"I didnt see no skid marks. "
Sir, if you missed THEM, you have no business driving.
"I dunno why you had to dodge me, there was plenty of room for you to get by. "
So you WERE there?
"yes. "
I aksed him for insurance information, and he refused. I offered to let him give me a couple hundred dollars cash, and leave the law (which we later found out he basically OWNED, via campaign contributions) out of it. He didnt like that idea.
We went around for a couple minutes. He kpet telling me to take his license number and turn that in. I asked him what good that would do. (I was genuinely curious- what good would it HAVE done? Cant get an agent to file a claim from a license number).
I gave up, and turned to go back to my pickup. About the time I got to the front of his pickup (I had been at his driver's door), he got out, and stumbled, tripped on his own feet, somehow ended up on his back out of the truck. I offered him a hand, and got a dirty look. I thought "screw you" then, and went back to my pickup after making sure he was up and alive. I moved my pickup off the road, and went about my day, intending to file a report later, and try to get some insurance info- it was Mom's pickup that had been mangled around, and if I hadnt tried to contact the, SHE would have.
I called the partol about an hour later, after several attempts from my firend's house to get through. They referred me to the Stoddard County Sheriff's Office. (The slickness of this move will come to light later in the saga. ) So I called the SC sheriff's office, and told them my story. AFter the dispatcher took my name and address, she told me it was a Patrol matter, call them back. OK
Something wasnt adding up, but alas, I was still young and naieve, I was about to get a WHOLE lot wiser... ... ... I had left my trailer at my firend's house, as Mom's was in no shape to tow a trailer, or I at least wanted to get it checked out. I had to repair some wiring from the accident, and was getting it all back together. Sheriff's Deputy pulls up and tells me he wants to talk to the owner of the trailer. I told him that would be me. "Well, we're here to arrest ya. " Mind if I ask why? "The old man you got into the argument with yesterday pressed charges against ya, and I's here to take you in, and we'll see if we cant get it taken care of. " THere were two of them, and the pickup would only go 100, so I figured, keep cool now, the time will come to fight this, like in a court room. I didnt see daylight for a month... ... .
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) I asked the jailer what this was about, as one of the conditions of my bond (which was $50K, CASH ONLY) was to avoid a KM, and his family, home, place of employment, etc. I aksed who he was, and the jailer told me he was "the old man ya beat half to death yesterday. " What? I hadnt been read my rights when arrested, but I had watched enough TV, and knew to keep my mouth shut, and just shrugged it off. I was booked, given my new clothes, and assigned a cell, with two bunks, and, later, two cell mates. Talked to the Public Offender the next day, and asked him what this was about. "You know dammed well what this is about!! The old man has a broken rib!! Your #1 right now is to remain silent, and I suggest you exercise it!!!!" Ok, this is looking worse. I called a friend of mine (collect) and told him I'd been arrested, and I think it is in connection with the old f**ker I ran into yesterday; could he call Crystal (then- fiancee) and tell her what was going on? I didnt know whether to scream, start killing people indiscriminately, or just sulk. So I did what I had the most experience in- I just sat there, in my cell, thinking about what the heck would we do, what would happen next, etc, etc. 
I've lived here for 46 years and can't wait to get a way. All of our kids have left and I am sure this phoney Republican political crooked crap has had a lot to do with it.
