HUNTSVILLE, Alabama (PNN) - December 13, 2016 - What if your job meant that you had to go arrest a guy who just wanted to live off the grid on his own land? What if that guy was a veteran? What if his only crime was refusing a service that he was supposed to pay for, like public water or utilities?
Is it actually acceptable to go to his place, kidnap him, and hold him against his will for that?
If you are the person who takes any of those actions, are you to blame if you’re “just doing your job?”
Tyler Truitt is a veteran who owns two acres of land in Madison County, Alabama. He and his girlfriend live off-grid. They have a clean, well-cared-for home with solar panels and a rainwater collection system. They don’t have loud parties, deal drugs, or do anything else that could be deemed anti-social.
Well, except refusing to tie into the grid; and the government can’t have that.
So in the interest of keeping law and order in Indiana, a guy who served his country is being harassed by his local government because it deems that not having public utilities makes his home unsafe.
I don’t know about you, but I think the unsafe part is the government officials that commit such crimes as trespassing, kidnapping, and extortion.
Truitt and his girlfriend aren’t hurting anyone. They aren’t endangering the welfare of their neighbors. They aren’t stealing, causing a public health hazard, or damaging anybody’s property.
They’re just living free.
Tyler ended up going to court and was put on probation for his “crimes”.
It gets worse. During his probation, he had the audacity to return to his home. His probation was revoked and last month he was re-arrested. He spent 10 days, including Veteran’s Day, in jail, as punishment for living in his own home.
This saga has been going on for months and months.
Can you imagine living in your home, minding your own business, and waiting every day for the knock at the door that turns your life upside down and deprives you of your liberty because you choose to live on your own land without public water and electricity?