Roger's Cart Driver Arrested For Brushing Highway Patrolman!?

Jeff Rude with the wacky story of Roger Maltbie's cart driver possibly giving a North Carolina Highway Patrolman's foot a love tap and getting arrested for it.

The driver has been Maltbie's on-course driver at Pinehurst U.S. Opens before.

“This is a new one,” Maltbie said walking down the 11th fairway. “I’ve been to a couple of rodeos and a county fair and I’ve never had this happen.”

Police said the driver was in the Moore County Jail on Saturday night in nearby Carthage.

Maltbie said he has been friends with the man since his rookie year on Tour. The North Carolinian also drove for Maltbie at the 1999 and ’05 U.S. Opens at Pinehurst.

One witness said the cart brushed the officer. It’s clear the mistake the driver made in not stopping when ordered. But it’s uncertain whether he knew a law officer was screaming for him to stop the cart.

Update on Sunday, June 15, 2014 at 10:02 AM by Geoff

**Sam Weinman follows up with a post and photos by Charles Laberge.

Comments

[KLG]

How far is Mayberry from Pinehurst?

[Pat]

Again, cops, cut off their salary and only half would quit.

[pasaplayer]

Never mess with Southern Bubba. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper will tell you the same.

[V60golfrrr]

Hey when he gets out go to the pik n pig in Carthage, best airport BBQ. That cop obviously has no sense of humor.

[Johnnnycz]

Pat nailed it!!!

[Bodenheimer's Bidet]

Pat, nailed it big time. Cops are generally power hungry bullies who enjoy pushing around people who can't push back. When their untenable pension arrangements inevitably crater, I will be overjoyed to ridicule every one of them I meet who can no longer hide behind the badge. Pull their "teeth" and they are harmless.

[4PuttAficionado (F3PA)]

I was wondering when the police state would rear its ugly head at a PGA event. Elsewhere in the world do you see cops with guns at Pro golf events? I'm surprised "mashed potatoes" doesn't get patrons arrested for disorderly conduct or some other bullshit. LoL Oh and god bless America

[Johnnnycz]

Well at least the Tazers weren't deployed. Great taxpayer savings right thar.

This thread will ignite some spirited debate. Looking foreword to it.

[No Longer]

In '99 I was walking down Beulah Hill from the Pinecrest to a condo on course #5 a little after last call. A cop stopped me and I was sure that I was going to spend the night in the Moore County drunk tank. This cop put me in the car and chauffeured me home. They ain't all as bad as this ass.

[Bodenheimer's Bidet]

Agree, No Longer, thus my inclusion of "generally". Unfortunately however, the one in question is highly representative and therein lies the problem.

[Bill V]

yet another reason not to use a cart

[Eldrick]

I'm guessing the driver wasn't black. The story doesn't mention the use of a Taser.

[Rudy Petross]

So I was covering the 1999 U.S. Open and got a speeding ticket. No problem, I'll pay it, then got something in the mail that said they didn't take checks or credit cards. I had to pay in cash or money order. I called and said "What you don't have any banks in that cousin-humping state of yours." Not only did I have to pay the ticket but had to play to restore my privilege to drive in the state of North Carolina. I want to lead the charge for that state and others in the South to secede from the Union.

[KLG]

I've had No Longer's experience and Rudy's. As the "Art Pope-i-fication" of the previously non-insane Carolina (except for that extended, incomprehensible Jesse Helms thing) takes hold, expect more of this crap. 'Tis true though, for every Barney, you need an Andy to keep him tethered to reality.

The question of the morning is, "Did Tommy Roy go the poor soul's bail?" Or was he charged with terrorism and sent straight to Guantanamo?

[ol Harv]

Funny stuff as I have had both good and bad experiences with NC Troopers. For some reason the blue lights in my beloved NC have always put a little more fear in my heart. By the way, golf carts are allowed in the Village of Pinehurst. Common to see them parked outside of Dugan's Pub and the Villager deli. The whole golf cart scene on the golf course was out of control this week. I saw several incidents or near incidents, one involving Curtis Strange weaving in and out of thousands of people near the clubhouse. On my way out Friday I was even thinking in my head about how they could fix this problem as it was a very noticeable issue, especially around the clubhouse and driving range.

[Brad Ford]

Unfortunately, there are enough bad cops to give the good ones a bad name.

As someone with significant hearing loss, I struggle to hear individual sounds in a crowd. Who knew that it could get me arrested?

[DTF]

They certainly threw the book at him, check this out: --> Lineberrry was arrested on four felony counts: assault of a law enforcement officer; hit and run with personal injury; driving while impaired; and resisting, obstructing, and delaying a public officer. Walker said the DWI charge was for "possible impairment from drugs." <--

"possible impairment from drugs"...? They smoke a doobie down at the cart barn before heading out?

dis·cre·tion ...(noun)... \dis-ˈkre-shən\

a : individual choice or judgment
b : power of free decision or latitude of choice within certain legal bounds
c : the result of separating or distinguishing

Amazing how many cops don't understand it....

[Brad Ford]

DTF: I am not licensed to practice law in NC; however, most states have a requirement for DUI that you be operating a vehicle on a public roadway. Looking at NC's statute (http://preview.tinyurl.com/7ew9ody), it appears to me that the State Police need to be "trained" on the issue.

[Jersey Mike]

It is possible that the cart driver was being a Richard. State Troopers are generally more reasonable than local police.

[Brad Ford]

Jersey Mike: the cart driver was probably a Richard, but that is not a felony.
1) accidentally hitting a police officer with a golf cart is not a felony
2) I am pretty sure you can't get a DUI on a golf cart on private property
3) is is not hit and run if you don't know that you hit someone
4) if you don't hear the officer, you cannot ignore the police officer's instruction.

[Jersey Mike]

I was not there.

[PA PLAYA]

Crazy overreaction. The cop should've made the guy stand at the position of attention while reading him the riot act, then dismissed him. Instead he acted the way a bad cop normally acts - like a bully hiding behind a badge.

[Jersey Mike]

PA PLAYA
Give us the details.
Sounds like you were there.

[Bodenheimer's Bidet]

This is par for the course. Over-charging is a typical defensive tactic when an officer has overreacted. In doing so, the hope is they will create an impression that the incident was far more serious than it actually was, they create bargaining room for a lesser plea and they muddy the water for any third party arbiters who tend to have a reflexive bias in favor of the police that is mostly informed by Hollywood fiction.

95% of Resisting Arrest charges are bogus and a hedge against this kind of abuse of power. Fortunately, given the circumstances and high profile nature of this incident, I think these maneuvers are likely to backfire and both the officer and agency are inviting far more scrutiny than they will comfortably withstand.

[johnnnycz]

The Deputy Dog (with a gun to boot) sure is reaching ain't he?


Hey...come to think of it I was once hit by a drunk at a golf tournament in Shelby NC...drunk idiot clipped me on the knee.Hurt like a mofo. I'm going to ask that "Serve and Protector" NC Trooper to track down that shirtless redneck gambler and treat him the same as he did Ralph's buddy.


And lastly...what exactly would a state trooper be "patrolling" at a golf tournament? Did they install asphalt cartpaths recently? A new highway bypass between the nines? Did he get lost on the way to Rockingham Speedway?


He kinda of reminds me of Kevin Heffernan's character in Super Troopers...lol

[Amen Coroner]

Maltbie had to walk the rest of the tournament or did a Fox understudy take over driving his royal heiness around the dusty Open?

[Jersey Mike]

......And lastly...what exactly would a state trooper be "patrolling" at a golf tournament? "

Did you hear about the Boston Marathon bombing?

[Carl Peterson]

@AC, Maltbie might have been able to walk but he certainly couldn't have gone that long without his crackers and can of 'spray cheese.'

[Press Agent]

@ Jersey Mike,

Then maybe the pudgy bully should have been looking for suspicious packages, or real criminals instead of picking on someone working for the TV crew. Had to show the crowd he was a real big man.

[Jersey Mike]

Press Agent-
You were there? You saw and heard everything?
Tell us about it.

[Taylor Anderson]

I saw this guy running around the course on Saturday - the guy was totally out of control for where he was driving. Glad he got arrested - he was rude and obnoxious with no regard for who or what was in front of him. Yelling at people, people yanking kids out of the way to keep them from getting run over. Ridiculous. Hope he gets a serving of humble pie because the guy was a danger.

The USGA needs to find a better way in dealing with carts on course during the round. You're continuously on the defensive because it's like an interstate out there for golf carts. Why they can't do a behind the tents mini-highway for golf carts transporting trash, supplies, people to keep them from having to dodge people (a vice-a-versa) is beyond me - they had ample room to make that happen. Instead, you've got a dangerous mix of carts and pedestrians trying to utilize an area that needs to be pedestrians only.

And if Maltbie can't walk #2, then he needs to hang up the spikes and head to a tower.

[Jersey Mike]

So Taylor,
You were there?
hmmm

[Taylor Anderson]

Yep - on Saturday and Sunday. For what it's worth - the couple of times I saw this guy, Maltbie wasn't in the cart. It was this guy and two other people.

[johnnnycz]

Jersey Mike:

Uh...I do believe there were numerous reports on the (intrusive and constitutionally suspect?) car and bag searches BEFORE even getting into the parking lot and on the grounds. So your "eeek...could be a bomb there" line doesn't hold water.

And the reports say he didn't even perform the actual arrest...another officer did that for him. WTF? Was he off duty and wore his uniform like a howdy doodee bumpkin? If it was such a traumatizing event for him...he sure recovered and ran real hard to put a chokehold on a cart driver while he was in motion...luck the driver had some skills and didn't instinctively stomp on the gas...THAT would've been rather interesting.

The charges won't stick...this guy just wanted to show everyone how big his Richard is. A bully with a badge sadly in this case.

[Jersey Mike]

Johnnycz
Have you ever been to a major golf tournament? (A lot of security)
You obviously hate the police and induce too much by your dislike of them.

[Jersey Mike]

Check this out....
http://dui.drivinglaws.org/is-it-illegal-to-drive-drunk-on-private-property.htm
dui on private property