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Read comments (10)Nicholas Moffatt had set up a small campsite on property owned by Donna J. Rehkop of rural Blackburn.
Someone called Saline County Sheriff's deputies to ask them to remove Moffatt from the property because he had not asked permission to camp there.
According to the incident report from the sheriff's department, the caller said Moffatt could have camped there if he had asked permission ahead of time.
Before deputies arrived at Moffatt's campsite, another call came in to report that another person was enroute to the campsite in a black Ford truck.
When Deputy Richard Miller arrived on the scene, he spoke to the driver of the truck, who said he was there to offer Moffatt a ride. Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Doug Fessenden then joined Deputy Miller; both officers observed empty boxes for intoxicants in the bed of the truck, along with a cooler.
Field sobriety tests were administered on the truck's driver; upon completion of the tests, the officers placed the driver under arrest for driving while intoxicated. Charges had not been filed at press time.
As for Moffatt, Deputy Miller transported him to the camping ground at Blackburn City Lake, after contacting Blackburn Police Chief Dean Koch.
For more information about Moffatt, including a daily blog about his experiences on the journey across the country, go to www.nickwalksamerica.org.
Contact Kathy Fairchild at marshallhealth@socket.net
Eric Crump Thanks for the clarification. You got it all correct except the part about it being hard to verify that we did not make the call.
If you really want to verify who made the call, you can ask the persons who made it, I gave your publisher their names the day after it was in your paper, or you can ask the Saline County Sheriff's Department, or I think the Missouri Highway Patrol even talked with the woman. If nothing else, give me a call and I can tell you their names and the number they called on.
As for my blogger "friend" from Blackburn, it sounds like you are the one with the ax to grind. I would be interested to know your name as I am curious about your attitude. And does your signature mean what I think it does?
I have talked with Nick and he had sent an e-mail to Cathy Fairchild, author of the article that started all this, telling her that I was not the woman he talked with. The only good thing about this is that I am now following Nick's adventures-love his sense of humor!!
Nick,
What you are doing is a good thing. I live in Blackburn and i am sorry you ended up on that persons land. They obviosly had an axe to grind. This is not the norm for this town, and most good people are willing to support your cause. Don't let this one persons actions deter you from beliving that most here are good people. For some like the ones you encounterd, is all about power, this is MY LAND. When i first read this story i figured that there was probly no house to be seen and thats why you camped where you did.
You desrve to be treated better than you were by the land owner that called the cops. It is good that the cops treated you well. They probly thought the owner was being a jerk as well. But they have a job to do.
notgvnasht your probably not a land owner or your opinion would be different. As land owners in rural Saline county my husband and I routinely run off trespassers. It is one thing if a person asks and has permission, but to go on someone elses property without asking is wrong. First and foremost if your not familiar with the property you could injure yourself then who would be responsible? By law the property owner is therefore, it becomes a liability to have trespassers on your property. Secondly, how would you like it if someone just decided to walk across your back yard, pick your flowers, pop open a beer leaned back on your tree and take a nap? I doubt you'd be too freindly if they hadn't asked to do so.
Wow - what a welcome, huh? While I agree that perhaps asking the property owners permission would have been a good idea - I can understand him being unable to determine whose property it was! Nonetheless, maybe the property owners (or whomever called, since it's clear that SOMEONE called)could have done something besides call the sheriff - like talk to Nick first????
Keep it going, Nick - I think what you're doing is admirable!!! Please don't judge all Americans by a bad experience...most of us are very hospitable!
Nick, it is grand what you are doing. It's a great rationale, plus to have the motivation (and time) to travel the U.S. Keep moving and stay focused! I commend you!
Hi. Im Nick, the British guy walking across the States. I had decided to pitch my tent in the location because it was off the main road, away from property, and i was pretty exhausted from a long days hike. If possible i do try and ask permission if I'm on someone's land, however this particular time there was no obvious farm nearby to ask, and no public land anywhere to camp.
I did later speak to the land owners son and he was fine with me being there, i would be gone by 5am anyway and all i wanted to do was sleep. The lady in question who was upset with me being there was completely un-cooperative, i went to speak to her to reassure her of why i was there but she was not interested. Because of this, even before the Sheriff arrived i was packing to find somewhere else, it is not my intention to upset anyone.
I was slightly annoyed that certain people are so unwilling to help others, particularly others who are going to great lengths to support our troops. However i must mention that Deputy Richard Miller was kind and professional, and a credit to the force. I also want to thank the truck driver for offering help, it seems i met the best AND the worst of Americans in one evening.
Thanks to those who took the sensible tact that the camper should have asked first.
But the problem with that is he didn't know whom to ask.
But the real problem is,we didn't make the call. Didn't call the sheriff to have him move, didn't talk to anyone about anything. Getting a correction in the Democrat is taking time, but I'm sure we'll get it done.
BTW, Everett and I both own the farm!
Perhaps the camper should have gone and talked to the owner before pitching a tent on someone's property. Unfortunately in this day and age, you just can't automatically trust strangers, especially in a rural area with no one around. I can't say that I wouldn't have also called the sheriff if I saw someone camping on my property that I didn't know, and didn't know what they were doing or why they were there.
LOL,
Hows that for hospitality. The owner should have went and talked to the man before he called the cops. What harm was he doing.
wow (again)