๐๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
On March 11, 2025, a jury found Benjamin Crocker guilty of resisting, delaying, or obstructing a peace officer, as well as trespassing and refusing to leave private property.
The case stems from a December 3, 2021, incident at Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe. The defendant refused to check in at the front desk, refused to comply with COVID protocols including wearing a mask, and was hostile to staff at the hospital. Crocker refused to leave the outpatient portion of the hospital after being asked numerous times by staff and security. In addition to hospital staff calling 911, the defendant also called 911, stating he would only comply with the El Dorado County Sheriff, not the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.
South Lake Tahoe Police Department officers arrived on scene pursuant to jurisdictional boundaries. The defendant argued with officers on scene, delayed their investigation, and refused to leave the hospital after numerous commands. Once told he was under arrest for trespassing, the defendant dropped his body weight and pulled his arms into his body, resisting officers who were attempting to place him in handcuffs. Upon arrest, the defendant was searched and found to be in possession of a knife. The defendant was known to the police department as a Sovereign Citizen, hostile to law enforcement, and known to carry weapons.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Pippa Temple, with investigative support from South Lake Tahoe Police Department Officers Toderean, Wiens, and Detective Sgt. Carlquist. The trial was heard before the Honorable Thomas Smith in Department 3. The defendant was sentenced to 30 days in county jail and returned to custody immediately.
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