Drizzt
July 17, 2002, 01:45 PM
'Cowboy' arrested with fake gun at Hennepin County Government Center files suit
Published Jul 16, 2002
A man who dressed as a cowboy to deliver a singing telegram at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis has sued over his arrest by deputies who were concerned about the fake pistol on his hip.
Fritz Herring, who was 72 when he was arrested on March 5, 2001, claims he was taken to jail and held for nearly 12 hours. Sheriff Pat McGowan said at the time that Herring was released after about seven hours.
Herring said the gun was a prop designed to look like .44-caliber pistols issued to soldiers in the 1860s. But the suit says that Herring was questioned at the Government Center about his mental condition and whether he was suicidal.
Herring had gone to the Government Center to perform a routine for a county employee who was fan of country-and-western music.
The suit claims McGowan aggravated the situation at a news conference by pointing the gun at a reporter and asking if she felt afraid of it, the suit said. The reporter said yes.
In the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Herring is asking for damages against the county for violations of his constitutional rights, false imprisonment, negligence, defamation and slander, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
McGowan could not be reached for comment Monday.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3062315.html
Published Jul 16, 2002
A man who dressed as a cowboy to deliver a singing telegram at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis has sued over his arrest by deputies who were concerned about the fake pistol on his hip.
Fritz Herring, who was 72 when he was arrested on March 5, 2001, claims he was taken to jail and held for nearly 12 hours. Sheriff Pat McGowan said at the time that Herring was released after about seven hours.
Herring said the gun was a prop designed to look like .44-caliber pistols issued to soldiers in the 1860s. But the suit says that Herring was questioned at the Government Center about his mental condition and whether he was suicidal.
Herring had gone to the Government Center to perform a routine for a county employee who was fan of country-and-western music.
The suit claims McGowan aggravated the situation at a news conference by pointing the gun at a reporter and asking if she felt afraid of it, the suit said. The reporter said yes.
In the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Herring is asking for damages against the county for violations of his constitutional rights, false imprisonment, negligence, defamation and slander, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
McGowan could not be reached for comment Monday.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3062315.html