TRI In The News
Rutherford Institute May Represent Man Arrested for Purchasing Prohibited Items
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - The Rutherford Institute is considering representing an Albemarle County man that was arrested for purchasing and bringing prohibited items within Charlottesville’s downtown restricted zone.
The institute says activist John Miska was arrested once he left the CVS store on the Downtown Mall where he purchased restricted items, which included a razor blade.
Miska was released on a summons, but the Rutherford Institute says the rules were poorly drafted and not thought out very well.
“If the government is going to put out rules, they need to be consistent,” John Whitehead, the president of the Rutherford Institute, said. “If you can't bring any of these items onto the mall, why could you buy them on the mall and use them on the mall? I mean, what I'm saying is if you're really a terrorist and you have to do is go through with nothing in your hands, go in the mall and buy scissors, pencils, and kind of implements that could hurt people.”
The Rutherford Institute says the rules were vague and unconstitutional, and it believes Miska's arrest was an illegal search and seizure.
