By Scotty Boman, Editor
Link to the February Michigan Libertarian.
Editor’s note: This article concernes a candidate seeking the Libertarian Party nomination for President. The Michigan Libertarian provides fair coverage, without endorsing one candidate over another.
Wise County -TX. Presidential Candidate for (“Not”) President Adam Kokesh spent over a week in a Texas jail without seeing any charges. He was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers shortly after formally announcing his decision to seek the Libertarian Party nomination for President on January 16th.
This early announcement coincided with him being the first to file a Statement of Candidacy with the FEC. The Texas troopers who made the arrest told Kokesh he was pulled over for speeding, and they told the press he was arrested on marijuana charges after a police dog signaled the presence of marijuana.
Sources close to Adam Kokesh don’t believe any contraband was found, and he insists that he doesn’t travel with contraband. His video shows a dog sniffing the vehicle, but not the discovery of specific items.
Law enforcement officials also charged him with tampering with evidence, even though the entire stop was recorded by Kokesh. A full recording of the events leading up to his arrest is available here:
The recording also features Kokesh’s dog Baloo. Sources close to Kokesh initially told the Michigan Libertarian that friends picked up the dog, and that he was safe. Some early information was released by his girlfriend Stacy Cook, who posted updates via YouTube:
On Monday a judge set his bail at $76,500 and Kokesh was told $6,000 would be needed for him to be released from jail. He called that “ransom,” and refused to pay on principle. A district judge reduced the bond to $21,500, and insisted he pay $2,000 to be released. Campaign contact Marcus Pulis said Kokesh hadn’t actually seen the judge, and that he was getting information about the bail amounts second-hand.
Kokesh has repeatedly asked to see the charges in writing as well as other documentation pertaining to his detention. He has has not received it. A writ of habeas corpus was sought by his attorney, but was not honored in the time leading up to his release.
Writing Back
On January 24th Kokesh issued an open letter from jail directed to Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin, who is in charge of the jail where he is being held. There he complained about the lack of information available to him,
“I would tell you more about the incident; the charges, the circumstances, and the full name of the arresting officer. But although I have been locked up for more than a week and despite my repeated demands, I have yet to receive a single piece of paper from the government regarding the incident of my unjust imprisonment. As the county sheriff, you have the ability to set things right in this case. I intend to help you”
He also asked for the return of his property and his dog Baloo. Campaign contact Marcus Pulis told the Michigan Libertarian that the dog had been “bailed out” by a friend of Kokesh. However, Kokesh didn’t know this when he penned the letter, citing the limited information being passed along to detainees. He said Kokesh and Baloo would probably be reunited over the weekend.
“He Has Been Bonded Out”
On January 25th (5:37 PM EST) the Michigan Libertarian called the Wise County Sheriff Department, and the Deputy answering said “He has been bonded out.” According to a news release by the “Adam Kokesh American Referendum Project”, he was bailed out for his own safety.
According to the news release:
“…there have been numerous threats made via social media that have been traced to what appears to be local law enforcement. Today, Kokesh received a note in his cell stating, ‘GET OUT NOW’.”
Adam Kokesh didn’t request that his bail be paid. However, his campaign manager Angela Fisher Owens bailed him out over concerns for his safety in light of these threats.
The Michigan Libertarian asked Pulis if the state troopers actually had any contraband that they alleged to be found. Pulis said he was not aware of any. Furthermore, Pulis said the authorities had not presented Kokesh with charges or an arrest report.
When asked how there could be bail without charges, Pulis indicated that there were a lot of problems with the case. He also said Kokesh was legally permitted to possess some vegetation for ceremonial or display purposes, and that, if any was found, officers might try to call it contraband even though it was held lawfully.
