Fresh off two losses in New Mexico’s Eighth Circuit, activist and YouTuber James “James Freeman” Springer (Freeman), returned to the Torrance County, New Mexico, Sheriff’s office on Tuesday in order to test the “open door” policy established by Sheriff David Frazee, the site of multiple incidents between Freeman and Frazee in the past.
Freeman, accompanied by a supporter, attempted access to a locked door leading to the Sheriff’s office. When entry could not be gained, Freeman and his friend attempted to go through security on the end of the building occupied by the Seventh District Court.
As the building is well known to Freeman, who is restricted from entering court facilities in the Seventh District without official business and a police escort, he immediately mobilized his supporters in his YouTube side chat to call flood the facility to demand the dismissal of the order against Freeman.
Freeman was blocked from moving past the security checkpoint by the person manning the security desk until Undersheriff Stephanie Reynolds agreed to meet with Freeman and his fan to discuss Freeman’s concerns that the Torrance County Police’s Facebook page had comments turned off.
As Freeman was waiting to make his way to the Sheriff’s department, Estancia, New Mexico, Mayor Nathan Dial, who was wearing a sidearm and is a known supporter of Freeman, entered the building and attempted to go past security. The Estancia Mayor has the same weapons carry permissions as the Sheriff but was unrecognized on scene and a call was made to the State Police and the court staff went into lock down.
Freeman aired his meeting with Undersheriff Reynolds, who pledged to investigate his concerns about the Facebook page, multiple members of the New Mexico state police arrived on scene. Freeman and his supporter, Mayor Dial, Undersheriff Reynolds and the four State Patrol officers then had a cordial discussion of the situation in the building for the next half an hour until the building closed.
Attempts by Freeman to paint the court staff as instigating the State Patrol’s presence and lockdown went unheeded and ultimately, the State Patrol captain on scene refused Freeman’s demand to interrogate the court staff and arrest the person who called in a “false police report.”
Freeman, who claims to be appealing decisions by the New Mexico’s Eight District Court to New Mexico’s Tenth District Court in his lawsuit regarding the Seventh District Court about the order limiting his access, had another setback in court on Tuesday.
Magistrate Judge Jennifer M. Rozzoni wrote that she found good cause to delay entering a scheduling order to move Freeman’s case against the Seventh District forward until the motion to dismiss by the defense is ruled on.
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