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[goodcow]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050526/D8AAUV9G0.html

Man Arrested for Wearing Grinch Mask
May 26, 11:47 AM (ET)

WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) - City and county attorneys are defending Wheeling police who arrested a man for wearing a Grinch mask while walking along a city street.

Norman Eugene Gray, 42, was arrested Tuesday. He was arraigned and released on a personal recognizance bond.

Officers saw Gray about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, told him to take the mask off and not put it on again. Gray removed it and asked why he could not wear it, according to Wheeling police reports. Officers told him wearing masks in public is illegal.

Gray said he felt he had a right to wear it and said it was not illegal. He put the mask back on and was arrested. The mask was confiscated.

Wheeling City Solicitor Rosemary Humway-Warmuth and Ohio County Prosecutor Scott Smith said masks as well as dark window tinting in vehicles can pose a safety hazard to law enforcement officers and hinder efforts to identify criminal suspects.

"When we think about masks, we don't always think of Halloween," Humway-Warmuth said.

Smith said wearing a mask or hood in public is a misdemeanor under state law, punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to a year in jail, or both. Children up to 16 years old can wear masks. Traditional Halloween masks, safety gear used in occupations, theatrical productions, civil defense or protection from bad weather also are legal.

 

[Particle Physicist]

"Smith said wearing a mask or hood in public is a misdemeanor under state law, punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to a year in jail, or both"



what... the.. fuck.

 

[belgurdo]

"Smith said wearing a mask or hood in public is a misdemeanor under state law, punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to a year in jail, or both"



what... the.. fuck.

WV=East coast Texas

 

[goodcow]

"Smith said wearing a mask or hood in public is a misdemeanor under state law, punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to a year in jail, or both"



what... the.. fuck.

One would think it might be to curtail gang violence, but people up to 16 years old are exempt, so exactly... what the fuck?

 

[galeninjapan]

Texas would do petty shit like that.

 

[WedgeX]

"Smith said wearing a mask or hood in public is a misdemeanor under state law, punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to a year in jail, or both"



what... the.. fuck.

If I remember, most laws like that are meant to keep the KKK from roaming about freely.

 

[Cauliflower of Love]

Gray said he felt he had a right to wear it and said it was not illegal. He put the mask back on and was arrested. The mask was confiscated.

:lol

A video would be oh so hilarious

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

WV=East coast Texas

hey, the state was very Democratic when I left a few years ago, I have no idea what happened to it.

Comparing any state to Texas is pretty harsh, especially my state. There is no other state like Texas, and for good reason.

 

[Particle Physicist]

If I remember, most laws like that are meant to keep the KKK from roaming about freely.

well that makes more sense. when i first read it, i thought of hooded sweatshirts.

 

[Mashing]

Other than Bush living here, what's wrong with Texas?

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

What the fuck is wrong with our country?

 

[Nintendo Ate My Children]

What the fuck is wrong with our country?

This isn't that hard to understand, people. Who wears masks or hoods in public? Bank robbers and the KKK. And apparantly lunatics like this guy. End of story.

 

[Mashing]

Plus the guy who robbed a theatre in a Darth Vader costume.

 

[ShadowRed]

WTF are people WTFing about? Who the fuck other than someone up to no good or looking to make a point as this guy was, is going to walk around in public with a hood on. I can totally understand the reasoning behind such a law like this.