Chevron wants to prosecute me for trespassing

[Ohary]

I'd definitely get a lawyer. No offence, but you don;t seem to make good decisions and I'm afraid you might make more.

 

[witold]

all any video is going to do is be used as evidence that he was there and used as evidence that he was recording. IN other words it will be used to prove it was him that was there.

They already have his ID and he has been identified and seen by they guards and cops. No one is trying to dispute he was not there. He was there. The charge is about trespassing and he was on their property. The only question is whether the trespassing charge even applies since there were no warnings and he left the second he was asked - and permitted - to leave.

Insofar to the current charges filed, the phantom is not the issue, the video is not the issue. However, this MAY change down the line. There might very well be some law that restricts photo/video of such things.

But you're right: lawyer is the best answer here. They will tell him if the video helps him or potentially creates more problems. Just because 1 charge was filed doesn't mean more are not forthcoming. They might be.

 

[Helios]

I wrote to Peter Sachs. He asked me to sent to him a scan of letter from court, afer that answered: "It appears to be a simple trespass offense, and the drone part really has nothing to do with it, legally. At most it would be a fine ...", and advised to hire an attorney in LA - may be even public (free).
So - after I come back from vacation (Sep 8) I will hire advocate and - will see. I will write any news here.
Thank you guys!

 

[Sketch6995]

you are not obligated to speak to them at all with or without a lawyer. if they had enough evidence to arrest you they would have already done so. they need you to confess a crime.....thats why they want to talk to you.

tell them to eat a ****.

 

[lutece7]

this is one of the reasons that not only do I have professional liability insurance, but, I also have legal insurance. I pays $42 a month to a company called Legalshield. Anytime I need advice I am routed to a local specialist who answers my questions. I also am promised so many hours of legal help per year if I ever need some real lawyering.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_expenses_insurance

 

[HarryT]

So - after I come back from vacation (Sep 8) I will hire advocate and - will see. I will write any news here.
Thank you guys!

Given that there's no doubt that it was private property, and that you were trespassing, wouldn't it be a lot easier and cheaper simply to plead guilty? I don't know how courts work in the US, but in a British court you'll get a lighter fine if you save the court's time and money by pleading guilty. And it would save you a lot of money on legal fees.

 

[Keeper of Maps]

6. Contact local TV/newspaper. They don't like general paranoia from big oil companies, either. They will probably be friendly to your story and may even get you in touch with a lawyer or give you other good advice.

I would not run to the media. You'll have no control over how they portray you and your story, which could end up hurting you. People who talk to the media should have training on how to deal with the press because there are definite dos and don'ts that can make the difference between a good interview and a bad interview.

Talk to your lawyer. Tell the truth in court. Accept the consequences with grace.

Good luck!

 

[Keeper of Maps]

My question has always been, if it's illegal to take a photograph of it, then why is it legal for a satellite to take the same photo?

Because the US does not have shutter control over all earth observing satellites because many of them are owned by non-US companies.

 

[Helios]

Hi again!
Update: I returned from vacation and hired an attorney (it is $2000 for pre-trial stage). I hope there will be no trial as attorney predicts.

 

[MrC]

Ouch! Good luck with this. Seems like a very minor offence, a shame they couldn't just tell you dont fly or come here again. $2000 for a basic attorney? I'm flabbergasted!

 

[Helios]

Ouch! Good luck with this. Seems like a very minor offence, a shame they couldn't just tell you dont fly or come here again. $2000 for a basic attorney? I'm flabbergasted!

I wrote to Chevron via their website contact my explanation and apologizes, they just did not answer to me.
It is resonable price for me if he will stop it all.
To everybody: be careful. Step left, step right, any your unstandard behavior can be reason of a lot of troubles. Be careful.

 

[Wedeliver]

Ouch! Good luck with this. Seems like a very minor offence, a shame they couldn't just tell you dont fly or come here again. $2000 for a basic attorney? I'm flabbergasted!

I wrote to Chevron via their website contact my explanation and apologizes, they just did not answer to me.
It is resonable price for me if he will stop it all.
To everybody: be careful. Step left, step right, any your unstandard behavior can be reason of a lot of troubles. Be careful.

I hope it all works out for you. Since you now have an attorney under retainer, you can call and ask him prior to flying and filming if it is all good. In Los Angeles, having an attorney friend or under retainer is part of life and business.

 

[Noël]

Any updates on this?

 

[Noël]

I guess he's in jail.

 

[jadebox]

I suspect that the first thing his attorney told him to do was to stop talking online about it.

-- Roger

 

[IflyinWY]

I think the op works for a major oil company and is just trying to scare the sh&* out of us.

 

[eckoner]

Seriously doubt you will go to jail for trespassing. Get a lawyer and you will probably just end up with a slap on the hand and good sized bill from the lawyer. Keep us up to date on how this plays out though. Best of luck to you.

+1

At this point, I figure if they wanted you to go to jail, they would come knocking on your door.

Call a lawyers office. There's probably a free consultation phone call anyway. Good luck!

Agreed - they are not going to lock you up for something like this. They have protocall in regards to how they deal with these types of issues. They will send a message with perhaps some token fine if that but I would obtain legal counsel as I would imagine there is more info not listed here such as

Were there any posted signs?
Were there any barriers or fencing that established a property line?
What was your intent?

Those are the types of things a lawyer will want to know and if you answer no to any of those most sharks would be more than happy to take your money fight for one of those technicalities.