Mountain Man Back In Jail, Supporters Want to Arrest Judge

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Heather Callaghan
Activist Post

Natural living mountain man, Ernie Tertelgte of Manhattan, Montana has become an Internet favorite for his tenacious defense of sovereignty and strict adherence to original court system procedures, even acting as his own defense.

Last year, we showcased his breathtaking speech to a judge that made her walk out of the room. In November he was at it again, not so much as physically standing up to be detained by bailiffs because even that would be acknowledging kangaroo court mandates. When we left off he was awaiting a sentencing and received a $1500 fine. All of this, you may recall, surrounded Ernie attempting to catch a fish and eat without having a fishing licence and a charge of resisting arrest.

The escalation continues as the court system will not concede. Tertelgte was rushed through another trial on January 27 without his many supporters allowed presence. When they were finally allowed in he was being hauled away again for contempt of court – for not removing his well-recognized three-corner hat.

This time his friends want more justice.

You won’t catch any footage of his latest courtroom protest, as not only were friends kept waiting outside the courtroom, but all photos and video recording attempts were banned. Also missing from this interplay was the original judge, Wanda Drusch.

Justice of the Peace, Rick West started the hearing by asking Tertelgte to remove his hat. When that prompted another speech by Tertelgte he was taken away for contempt of court, fined $500, and sentenced to 30 days in jail. Almost as many law enforcement officers were guarding the courthouse as Mr. Tertelgte’s friends – officers were upped to 20 in number at this trial. (source)

A supporter said:

Taking off your hat is not illegal, it’s not immoral, it’s not unethical and if the judge makes a law that somebody has to take it off, all that’s doing is forcing his will upon a man who has his own alienable [sic?] rights and it’s unjust.

Here is the latest development that involves his friends and their reaction to Ernie’s latest detainment:

The news report is calling them an unorganized militia that is threatening the judge with arrest.

Ernie’s friend William Wolf says:

This is not about arresting a judge per Se, this is about holding him and every law agency to the same standards that they hold you and I to. This isn’t about vengeance; this is about justice.

Sheriff Brian Gootkin, catching the remark and worried about threats that affect the judge’s family, said:

When you start talking about arresting people and kidnapping people, and that’s unacceptable and nothing good comes from that.

Like we explained to Wolf, that’s unacceptable. For someone in the family to live in fear, that’s not the way things work. (source)

You don’t say, Sheriff? What of the family of a man who went fishing and didn’t offer his name to law enforcement? How is a citizen’s arrest suddenly kidnapping but repeatedly jailing a man who objects in court is considered just? What about citizens living in fear of aggressive confrontations by law enforcement in every area of life – driving, fishing, sleeping, getting ready in the morning…

Interestingly, Sheriff Gootkin compares the group of supporters to the Freemen group and ultimately, to him, a disease. Is the Whirling disease he is referring to the same kind that comes from a parasite that affects fish? Something to think about … Meanwhile, the court refuses to hear Ernie’s protests or consider dropping the original charge, so the court system has used untold amounts of taxpayer money. Clearly this is not just about the “justice” regarding a fishing license. Perhaps there is something else caught up on the hook and line…

Gootkin says they are willing to listen to their side, but obviously, Tertelgte and his friends are not actually being heard. Throughout all the “hearings,” the judges have yet to address his legitimate points about the courtroom procedures.

Wolf has responded to the original report via a Facebook comment. Here is one excerpt from his lengthy response:

I am tired of the agents of the law attempting to paint the exercise of a citizens arrest as a vigilante, Freeman type event. When the citizens have only the government to rely upon to investigate their own, we have a serious problem where the citizen of this nation are denied their fundamentally protected rights.

They can smear and detract from the issue at heart all they want, but the Internet is still watching to see WWMMD – What Would Mountain Man Do?

Previously:

• Mountain Man Arrested In Courtroom, Gets the Last Word Again
• Mountain Man’s Defense of Individual Sovereignty Leaves Judge Speechless

Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work at NaturalBlaze.com and ActivistPost.com. Like at Facebook.

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