Jim Daves, Chattanooga Cop, On Paid Leave After Arresting Eric 'Jessie' Wright After Emergency Trip To Hospital

A Tennessee police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave after trying to arrest a Chattanooga driver who ran two red lights while rushing to a hospital emergency room to seek treatment for his wife's stroke-like symptoms.

When Aline Wright suddenly lost the ability to speak and her face began to droop, her husband Eric "Jessie" Wright got her to their car and began racing to nearby Erlanger Medical Center hospital where they both worked, according to CNN affiliate WTVC. Aline, who is a nurse, lost her leg to cancer and as a result of her chemotherapy treatments, suffered problems that put her at greater risk of suffering a blood clot.

Wright told WTVC that he drove with his blinkers on and cautiously proceeded through two red lights last Wednesday night, on the way to the hospital. Officer Jim Daves tried to pull over the couple, but Wright refused and continued to the medical center. Daves followed and as Wright carried his disabled wife to the emergency room, the police officer tried to arrest him and threatened to file felony charges.

Wright said that he walked around Daves and tended to his wife, but in his report, Daves disputed Wright's version of events:

"The defendant endangered several lives with his reckless and careless driving," Officer Daves wrote in the affidavit.

Mr. Wright then pushed Officer Daves away as he got out of the car, scraping the officer with his fingernails and telling him it was "an emergency and that he was an EMT and to leave him alone," the affidavit states.

Wright was later arrested and charged with "assault on police, disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment, felony evading arrest, registration expired and two counts of traffic signals violation," reports The Chattanooga Times Free Press. Wright was released after posting $7,500 bail.

On Tuesday, the Free Press reported that all seven charges against Wright had been dropped.

WATCH:

Comments

[pooski]

10:42 PM on 06/24/2010

You really have to wonder what kind of brain-dead police chief and DA they have down there--filing all those charges before having a clue what went on?

Do they have any idea who they serve?

Should you teach a kid "the cops are your friend"?

Not any more.

[CulpeperMin]

12:56 PM on 06/24/2010

"If the state, through the court (and especially by jury) recognize and convict on the charge, the law is valid. You're expressing personal objections to the law, which really have no bearing on the legality of the statutes. "

Has it ever occurred to you that the Courts are so twisted and broken that with sufficient political will the State could convict a ham sandwich of murder?

The Police, SAO & Judge ALL stand together on the same side of the arbitration, all vying to expand their organizational influence and power. The judge poisons the jury through his instructions that the jury must confine themselves to the facts whilst the judge spoon feeds the "law".

The jury pool of course is equally horrifying, reflecting those in society without the need or wherewithal to get out of jury duty, those without anywhere else to go, the elderly and always those without the power of critical thought or analysis, the lowest common denominator. (anecdotally I have always been immediately dismissed based on my questionnaire responses, I exhibit exactly zero sponge like characteristics).

If you need to delude yourself in order to get of bed in the morning and earn a living, fine, no worries, no hard feelings. Just don't expect your law & order schtik to fly with those outside the system who see how truly broken it is.

[kit1544]

07:02 PM on 06/23/2010

This is a sample of what worries people of color in Arizona. What would have happened if the cop thought they were 'illegal' immigrants? Would he have shot them?

50 years ago my friends were on the NYS Thruway doing well over 90 mph. She was pregnant with a spinal problem and had gone into labor. They were racing to the hospital in Rochester, NY where her specialist was waiting for her. A state trooper pulled them over but once he got an explanation gave them an escort with lights and sirens! Would we get that today?

[William D Simpson]

06:12 PM on 06/23/2010

When a police officers actions jeapordizes the safety of a person or endangers their life, and they are found to be in the wrong, there should be criminal charges brought against the officer and never again allowed to serve the people.
http://wsimpson.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/police-brutality-adolesent-ego-criminals-unfit-for-the-honor-to-serve/

[pmagellan]

05:14 PM on 06/23/2010

There are good cops and bad cops. There are smart cops and stupid cops. Alright.

What about requiring adequate training, and a level of citizenry and personal development beyond robotics?

Maybe then the us-vs-them attitude, and the self-righteousness afforded by a culture of fear-based legal oppression will go.

[Scoop511]

01:58 PM on 06/23/2010

Glockman, you seem completely obsessed with defending police on here today. There are good cops, there are bad cops. You said your intent is to prevent blanket statements against cops, but your obession and attitude on here is starting to look like you might have anger issues of your own. And if you are a cop as you pose to be on here, that anger is an example of what leads to situations like that on display in this article. People will state their opinion and you'll make some snide comment back to them and act like they have a problem because they disagree with you. Besides, if you are a cop what kind of statement is the name glockman supposed to make about yourself?

[glockman]

02:00 PM on 06/23/2010

"Glockman, you seem completely obsessed with defending police on here today"

No more obsessed than those bent on defaming them.

"Truly, the dregs of society" as stated by CulpeperMin.

[CulpeperMin]

02:01 PM on 06/23/2010

I was referring to the officers featured in each one of my links.

[marcef100t]

01:55 PM on 07/16/2010

your a tool, god help us all if you are anyting like most cops, you are EXACTLY what america is getting tired of, you are EXACTLY the problem.

[glockman]

02:01 PM on 06/23/2010

And when have I shown any anger? CulpeperMin has shown anger, I have not.

[Laplase75]

02:03 PM on 06/23/2010

Do you not have friends or family?

[Scoop511]

02:06 PM on 06/23/2010

and now what you are doing is deflecting.

[coolfireone]

01:49 PM on 06/23/2010

That's an example of the kind of law enforcement we do not need - complete lack of judgement, empathy, and common sense. There is something wrong with this officer.

[glockman]

01:53 PM on 06/23/2010

And this is an example of the law enforcement we also have:

http://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/2085669-Fast-acting-Deputy-performs-CPR-to-save-17-day-old-baby/

[CulpeperMin]

01:56 PM on 06/23/2010

And these;

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100621/NEWS02/100629970

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/atlanta-expected-to-pay-552542.html?cxtype=rss_news

http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=30812

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15278256

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/may/20/police-conclude-swat-investigation/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100517/ap_on_en_tv/us_police_search_girl_killed;_ylt=AnU3lOPott1Ylf8zlR4535tvzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ0Ym9oZjRzBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNTE3L3VzX3BvbGljZV9zZWFyY2hfZ2lybF9raWxsZWQEY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMyBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA2F0dHl2aWRlb3N

Truly, the dregs of society.

[CulpeperMin]

01:57 PM on 06/23/2010

The Detroit one.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/nation/death-of-young-girl-in-detroit-police-raid-shines-light-on-presence-of-reality-camera-crews-94290104.html

[SeattleFran]

01:46 PM on 06/23/2010

This is ridiculous. Remember the days when police would escort you when you had an emergency? What is wrong with people? It's distressing because you can train someone to be a good police officer, but if you have to train someone to act like a decent human being, you've got a real problem

[glockman]

01:48 PM on 06/23/2010

"Remember the days when police would escort you when you had an emergency?" We still do.

Remember the days when people approached debate and discussion with reason and logic instead of emotion?

[CulpeperMin]

01:52 PM on 06/23/2010

To the contrary I think the contempt shown to the police is firmly grounded in decades of abuse (worsening at that) and is firmly grounded in anecdotal observations and fear for ones own safety.

[Laplase75]

01:57 PM on 06/23/2010

Amazing. I assume you are defending the police officer's action?

[TDano]

01:41 PM on 06/23/2010

Can they stop racially profiling please!!??

[J0E1]

03:12 PM on 06/23/2010

Yea I am sick of white cops bullying white men. Stop racial profiling!

[jourdankr]

01:41 PM on 06/23/2010

Does anyone know if the wife is ok?

[Scoop511]

01:43 PM on 06/23/2010

yes, she is okay. She's speaking in the video above about it.

[NoahVail]

01:22 PM on 06/23/2010

Good thing the dude was not a minority, otherwise he would have been shot.

[CulpeperMin]

01:29 PM on 06/23/2010

Probably, Contempt of Cop is especially lethal to non-Whites.

[Dean Shirley]

01:37 PM on 06/23/2010

yeah right, if it were a minority of any kind he would have been ushered in on a golden throne. Everyone in "his" way would have gotten a ticket.

[luv ya]

01:21 PM on 06/23/2010

The Cop should be arrested for impersonating a human.

[zkelly]

01:37 PM on 06/23/2010

haha! for real.

[CulpeperMin]

01:17 PM on 06/23/2010

Eric Wright committed an often fatal offense, contempt of cop.

Common sense, discretion, protecting, serving, keeping the peace, all of these go out the window when you dare to question the man in the funny costume's "authoritay"

[shineon23]

01:25 PM on 06/23/2010

That's exactly what went through my mind when I read the cop said the victim "scraped him with his fingernails".
Surprised he didn't get shot or tased for that vicious assault

[icoramba]

01:09 PM on 06/23/2010

what ever happened to "protect and serve"? Has it become cliche?

[Lib Independant]

01:06 PM on 06/23/2010

The right thing the cop should've done, after realizing the situtation, is leave Mr. Wright with a warning. There's a fine line between being cynical and brain dead.

[J0E1]

03:15 PM on 06/23/2010

He could also issue him a citation for the traffic violations and let the court decide whether or not it was justified. Arresting him and charging him with felony crimes is when it went too far. I'm sure he would be happy to pay $1000 in fines as it got her to the emergency room faster then a $5000 ambulance ride would have.