It sounds like baahhh, oink (Ernie Tertelgte)

[Gregg]

David claims in that post that he doesn't have a SSAN...and I have been under the impression for years that David's income source is SSDI payments...

So, is anyone as shocked, SHOCKED, as I am at the mere possibility that he's lying?

[AndyK]

David Merrill Van Pelt has a Social Security number.

David Merrill does not have one.

At least that's his theory.

[Pottapaug1938]

David Merrill Van Pelt has a Social Security number.

David Merrill does not have one.

At least that's his delusion.

I like my version better.

[ashlynne39]

On every linked story, the commenters are in agreement with this mutant. One of his most outspoken defenders is a 13 year old girl. They're all saying how much sense he makes and how he's right on target with the Constitution and code sections. One moron wrote about how much America loves this guy and that he should run for president. Absolutely delusional. The fact that he gets support at all is just pathetic.

[grixit]

On every linked story, the commenters are in agreement with this mutant. One of his most outspoken defenders is a 13 year old girl.

Is she saving up for a motor scooter? Perhaps he can advise on keeping it from disrespecting her.

[LightinDarkness]

I strongly suspect most of the support for this idiot is astroturfed from the online sov'run community, he has been very adept at making sure someone has a camera for his theatrical antics and hes able to pack the court room with friends. I assume those friends make sure links get posted to all the sov'run sites so that he gets the illusion of mass support in the comments.

I also think there are probably a few average (woefully uninformed) supporters who parse this story as "innocent mountain main feeding himself gets arrested for trying to make his own dinner." Of course, that is not what happened, but thats the story that people are going to come up with when looking at this. The truth is the guy was charged for resisting arrest and obstructing an officer. AS USUAL, sov'runs ensure they end up in way more trouble than if they knew the actual law - I bet if Ernie had simply explained he didn't think he needed a license for what he was doing the cops would have let him go (with a reminder to get a license) and nothing would have come of this.

But nope, not Ernie. He had to start making a big production of it and ended up finding himself in a lot of trouble...

[fortinbras]

So far Ernie has not found himself in "a lot of trouble". He pretty much got the standard, maybe even less than standard, penalty for a fish & game violation, and nothing more. And if the sympathetic viewers of his videos each send him a dollar, he can probably eat out at the best restaurants in his town for a month or more.

Unfortunately other people, seeing his bad behavior, may try to emulate him in other courts, and experience is a tough teacher.

[ashlynne39]

So far Ernie has not found himself in "a lot of trouble". He pretty much got the standard, maybe even less than standard, penalty for a fish & game violation, and nothing more. And if the sympathetic viewers of his videos each send him a dollar, he can probably eat out at the best restaurants in his town for a month or more.

Unfortunately other people, seeing his bad behavior, may try to emulate him in other courts, and experience is a tough teacher.

Actually he got tossed in jail for contempt and fined around $500

[grixit]

$500 would buy a lot of halibut platters with all the trimmings.

Or a pickup truck load of fried catfish, corn fritters and apple pie.

I hope those were some amazing carp he caught.

[fortinbras]

What was the length of his jail sentence??

(and, Please, source of info about contempt penalty??)

[ashlynne39]

What was the length of his jail sentence??

(and, Please, source of info about contempt penalty??)

It was on a video or on the comments to the video. I thought it was one posted here but it is possible I linked to it through one of the stories. My recollection was 30 or 60 days in jail and $500 fine.

[davids]

Not meaning to be disagreeable at all, but I am under the impression that was the first trial, of just the fishing violation, hence the low fine. I think that in Jan there is a second Trial of the more serious offenses. But I agree the stories are vague and hard to decipher in this regard, as news stories of legal actions often are.

[fortinbras]

Old Ern' has managed to get free room and board again. For contempt of court, again. And, considering he filed for bankruptcy twice, he knows how he should behave in court.

http://www.tatoott1009.com/2014/02/01/n ... led-again/

[GlimDropper]

This one might be heading out of laugh and point territory and turning darker:

Citizens threaten to arrest local judge, law enforcement on edge

Posted: Feb 4, 2014 8:21 PM by Beth Saboe - MTN News
Updated: Feb 4, 2014 8:31 PM

A threat made against a local judge has law enforcement on edge.

But, as MTN's Beth Saboe reports, a member of the unorganized militia says his group is not out for vigilante justice.

"This is not about arresting a judge per Se, this is about holding him and every law agency to the same standards that they hold you and I to. This isn't about vengeance; this is about justice," William Wolf said.

Wolf is a friend of Ernie Tertelgte, a Manhattan resident who calls himself "a natural living man" and has gained internet fame for confronting local judges.

Last week, Justice of the Peace, Rick West put Terteglte behind bars for contempt of court.

[Link to the rest of the article with video on the KBZK website]

It may help keep things in context to point out this entire issue could have been avoided with a $26 annual fishing license. In fact, it could probably have been avoided if Ernie just hadn't been a sovereign prick to the guy who asked him if he had a fishing license. Those may be the facts but Mr. Tertelgte is a man of principle.

Given an opportunity to collect his thoughts, Ernie Tertelgte is not unintelligent, 25 minutes of the world as he sees it. He presents what I'm sure is his best face and when he isn't yelling at a Magistrate he is easier to listen to. The slight problem we have here is we live in a different world than he thinks he does so we no longer share a common definition of the word "justice."

Justice to us would require him to pay $26 for any given year he wished to fish in Montana, justice to him means he can do anything he damn well pleases and no Judge, police officer or fish and game deputy can stop him.

The gibberish is strong in this one, I think he actually believes what he's saying. He's not just some internet sovereign with YouTube and facebook, he'd rather serve 30 days for contempt rather than remove his tricorn hat in court. So he, for the moment wont be hurting anyone (except himself) but he has friends on the outside. William Wolf, mentioned in the first article above had this to say in the comments section:

William Krisstofer Wolf

It is strange that the sheriff talked of kidnapping and such but failed to mention that I had already contacted the FBI, the US Marshalls office, the MT Attorney Generals office and Marty Lambert the GC district attorney, and that I clearly stated that this would be an arrest under Montana Code Annotated 46-6-502 and had contacted a US Marshall on Monday, January 27, 2014 about being available to be in Bozeman should an arrest be affected.

This was also explained to the FBI that very same day and this video of sheriff Gootkin was made after my hour long conversation with the sheriff. This has nothing to do with the Freemen, this has everything to do with the violation of USC (U.S. Title Code, look it up) Title 18 Chapter 13 Section 241.

This type of comments by the sheriff, I consider, inflammatory. It was made clear in video's by this TV station, to the FBI, to the GCSO, MT. Attorney Generals office and the GC District attorney's office in a direct conversation with Marty Lambert that it would be an exercise of MCA 46-6-502 and the judge would be immediately taken into custody by a US Marshall.

I am tired of the agents of the law attempting to paint the exercise of a citizens arrest as a vigilante, Freeman type event. When the citizens have only the government to rely upon to investigate their own, we have a serious problem where the citizen of this nation are denied their fundamentally protected rights.

I have asked the FBI to investigate this matter, I will be filing with the various government agencies to have rick west removed for numerous civil right and code of ethics violations, HOWEVER, for the sheriffs office to state that we made threats against this man and his family is down right false and a discredit to all those in uniform.

A lawful citizens arrest is allowed under Montana law and within certain limits anyone can be arrested and presented to the nearest law agent. My phone records will show that I spent 15 minutes on the phone with a US Marshall in Billings concerning his availability to be present to take custody of the judge should that arrest be necessary. He was polite and knew the MT law and told me the procedure, which was followed, in filing a complaint.

For the sheriff's office to say that "if you don't get what we want doesn't allow you to break the law" is down right misleading and all the video and saved email will prove this. I am highly disappointed in this matter and now am concerned that I will be a target of retaliation by the law agencies or judiciary for wanting to exercise my rights under Montana law in order to protect the populace of Montana from further possible abuse.

The sheriff statement that they are "confident that there was no criminal activity by the judge." worries me as they are only an investigative arm and a citizens complaint has been lawfully brought forward to both the FBI, US Marshalls office, Attorney General office and the local law agencies and for this statement to be made indicates that a full investigation by the local law agents might not be given its best and full attention.

I have to ask each of you reading this.....DO YOU WANT A FAIR TRAIL WHERE YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS ARE NOT VIOLATED? If so the please demand a fair investigation into this because, your family member might be the next one in front of this judge and they might end up in jail.

Your freedom, your protected rights, your state laws....if we live in fear of the law, then we are nothing more than slaves. Is that what you want for you family.

Watch the video at that first link if you hadn't already, the Sheriff in question, Brian Gootkin was being as reasonable as he could be. He said he lived through the Montana Freeman and had seen this before. AT the end of the video Mr. Wolf also gave some voice to moderation, that if they could be satisfied that the Judge wasn't acting illegally, they'd more or less let things go.

Let's hope some common definitions can be found here between Ernie's supporters and the rest of Montana can be found here, before someone gets hurt.

[Pottapaug1938]

When I was in college, I took a January Term course on "The Effect of Supreme Court Decisions on Law Enforcement Operations" -- probably the most interesting course I ever took. It was taught by two Worcester, Mass. detectives, one a sergeant and one a lieutenant; and their lectures were peppered with stories about how police go about their work.

One thing which I remember is that the sergeant pointed out that, while police officers can arrest someone if they have probable cause to believe that the arrestee committed a crime, a civilian can only make a lawful citizen's arrest if they have actual knowledge that the arrestee has comitted a crime. "The thing is that you have to be 100% correct about what the law is, and 100% sure that a crime has actually been committed," he told us. "Otherwise, YOU will be the one who ends up behind bars."

Somehow, I don't think that Ernie's pals can satisfy Part 1 of this burden....

[fortinbras]

In the meantime, one of Tertelgte's knuckle-walking buddies is doing his best to put out a fire with gasoline.

http://www.kpax.com/news/citizens-threa ... t-on-edge/

[Montana Notasovrun]

Yep, we still got some first rate entertainment in the courtrooms here in Montana. I've talked to some of the judges in that part of the state and there is quite a vocal and potentially dangerous contingent of free for now "freemen." They seem to pump each other up. More looniness is on the way, guaranteed. I'm sure hoping no one gets hurt.

[Lambkin]

http://www.kbzk.com/news/local-man-asks ... -tribunal/

Feb 25, 2014 6:16 PM by Adam Bell - KBZK News
Local man asks county to form tribunal

During the public comment period during Tuesday's Gallatin County Commission meeting, a local man asked the commissioners to form a tribunal to review several allegations, including human rights violations against Ernie Tertelgte.

[fortinbras]

Same genius, a month ago: http://mtcowgirl.com/tag/william-wolf/? ... her=mobile

[Lambkin]

http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/manhatta ... s/25145002

terTelgte appeared in justice court this afternoon to have the trial dates set for charges of fishing without a license and resisting arrest. It did not take long for him to test the judge's patience.

When Judge West called terTelgte's name, he was already displaying a white flag. Written on it was the word 'TRUCE".

Judge West told Ernie terTulgte, "You can come back in without the flag, Mr. Tertelgte."

To which terTelgte responded, "I can not, and I will not."