By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
A Crawfordville man was found guilty of two counts of battery on a law enforcement in a bench trial last week.
Phillips was found guilty of battery on Deputy Ernesto Trujillo and battery on Capt. Dale Evans (now major) as well as guilty of resisting an officer with violence and no valid driver license.
Wakulla Circuit Judge Layne Smith, who presided over the trial, sentenced Phillips to three years probation with conditions of mental health screening and counseling, and to complete anger management, plus 10 days in the Wakulla County Jail with credit for two days served.
According to the arrest report, Deputy Rick Buckley, working as a School Resource Officer at Wakulla Education Center, saw Phillips driving to drop off his child at school. Buckley, aware that Phillips had no driver license (he is legally blind) and, accorrding to the report, exhibited “unstable behavior” in past dealings with law enforcement, called for back up.
Capt. Evans and Deputy Trujillo arrived and Buckley received a call for assistance from the school office. The deputies confronted Phillips, who was sitting in the principal’s office, and Buckley said he had seen Phillips driving and was aware he did not have a license. Phillips reportedly responded that he didn’t need a license because he was a sovereign citizen. Told he was going to arrested, Phillips reportedly began using profanity. He tried to tackle Capt. Evans and was taken to the ground and refused to comply, kicking at Deputy Trujillo.
Buckley used his Taser and Phillips was handcuffed and taken to the Wakulla County Jail.
