A Penticton man who refused to identify himself to RCMP exercising his rights under the Freeman's Society found out that doesn't exempt him from the law.
Lawrence Earl Sukow spent two nights in jail this week facing obstruction charges for refusing to identify himself to police at roadside. RCMP South Okanagan Traffic Services were conducting a stepped up enforcement day on Feb. 14 when the 57-year-old man was stopped for displaying a fake licence plate on his vehicle. Sukow refused to identify himself when the officer began dealing with him. Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said the officer was left with little choice other than to arrest Sukow. The officer attempted twice to release Sukow by way of promise to appear, but Sukow denied being the person identified on his valid B.C. drivers licence and refused to be served with the process. The man then declined being heard by a Justice of the Peace for a proper bail release hearing, leaving the investigator with the last option which was to hold Sukow in order for him to physically appear before a judge in court.
“Mr Sukow spent Valentines Day evening in the care and company of the Penticton RCMP and appeared in court before Judge Cartwright in Penticton on Tuesday morning Feb. 15, where he again refused to identify himself stating he was “no name,” said Moskaluk.
Sukow was remanded into custody for a second night and appeared in court on Feb. 16, at which time he conceded to the fact that in order to be released from custody that he would need to identify himself. He was released and is set to appear before the courts in the near future to face the obstruction charge along with his receiving the violation ticket for driving without insurance.
"We were getting a little concerned for him, as he had refused to eat since his arrest. There are a number of cases where we have come across individuals who have laid claim to exercising their rights as part of the Freeman Society, but this one in my recollection is the first one where the individual tested the system to the point of standing before a provincial court judge” said Moskaluk.