Rock, Paper, Scissors – Justice? Global’s Allison Vuchnich tells about the Texas woman who allegedly got out of an underage drinking charge.
TORONTO – Sometimes, the judicial process can be long, drawn out, and complicated. Sometimes, it can come down to whether you chose “Rock” instead of “Paper.”
Three Texas police officers are in hot water after video surfaced of one of them playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors” with a woman at Chilifest in Snook, Texas, over the weekend.
At stake? An underage drinking ticket allegedly being levied against the woman in question.
In multiple videos posted to social media, the woman is seen using the well-known legal defence of “Rock” as the officer opts for the equally time-worn “Scissors” prosecution.
As a result, the woman is reportedly let off the hook, and is clearly relieved as the crowd mobs her in celebration.
Her victory got her out of a citation for possessing alcohol as a minor, punishable by a maximum $500 fine, community service, and a driver’s license suspension.
The officer’s decision to leave a criminal charge up to a game of chance is clearly a popular one among the Chilifest faithful, but the videos are raising some concerns about the officer’s conduct after they went viral and were reported on by local media.
Burleson County Precinct Constable Dennis Gaas told KBTX News in Bryan, Texas that one of the three officers works for the Cameron Police Department and the other two work for Rogers PD and up to 100 officers from multiple local police departments work the event each year.
News reports say at least one of the officers, Cameron Police Department constable Chris Ashwood, has been suspended 90 days for his role in the incident.
But Cameron Police Chief Randy Dixon is standing by his officer, calling Ashwood a “model” officer and saying the circumstances go beyond what is shown in the video.
Dixon tells local news outlet The Eagle that the woman in question was less than 30 days away from her 21st birthday.
Therefore, the officer decided to let her off with a warning, with Dixon saying he never intended to “win” the game.
“The way he did that was rock-paper-scissors, but he was going to make sure she won,” Dixon said. “It’s not a funny situation, but I do think it’s a situation that has been blown out of proportion.”
The three officers will not be allowed to police any future Chilifest events.
And for anyone concerned about the level of policing at Chilifest, multiple media outlets are reporting that 113 citations were issued including 44 for underage drinking.
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