People have been wrongly accused and pulled over for a lot of bogus things, but what happened to James Hodges really pushes the limit. On October 31, 2022, Hodges was walking home from jury duty when an officer confronted him over the object in his back pocket. To the officer, it looked like a silver pistol with a white grip. In reality, it was a walking stick used by the legally-blind Hodges to walk around at night.

“What’s this in your back pocket?” asks Deputy Jayme Gohde of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

“It’s a navigational aid. What’s the problem, you a tyrant?” says Hodges.

“Yeah, I am actually,” replies Gohde.

What happens next borders on unbelievable. Gohde asks Hodges for his name and date of birth, which he (legally) refuses to provide. She then tells him the reason she stopped him is because she suspects the object in his back pocket is a weapon. He pulls it out and shows her that it is indeed a walking stick, not a weapon.

That should be the end of it, but the situation only escalates from there. A second officer, Sergeant Randy Harrison, arrives on the scene. He demands to see Hodges’ ID, which he again denies to provide. Despite this being perfectly within his rights, the officers pull Hodges’ arms behind him and begin to handcuff him. Sergeant Harrison asks if he is legally blind, which he confirms.

“All right Mr. Hodges,” says Deputy Gohde. “Was that that hard?”

“It’s gonna be,” says Hodges. “I want your name and your badge number.”

Instead of complying, Sergeant Harrison tells Deputy Gohde to put Hodges in jail for resisting arrest. The officers then file a report that differs greatly from what their body camera footage shows. Deputy Gohde falsely states that Hodges would not provide a clear view of the object, even though the footage shows him clearly displaying it to her. Hodges ultimately spent 26 hours in jail before being released.

Hodges posted the body cam footage on YouTube on November 1st, 2022, where it quickly went viral, stoking outrage in the community over the flagrant abuse of power and denial of Hodges’ rights. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office launched an administrative investigation on November 3rd, resulting in penalties for both officers involved in the event. Sergeant Harrison was demoted, suspended without pay for seven days, and barred from any favorable action (such as promotions) for two years. Deputy Gohde was suspended without pay for two days, and both officers were required to partake in remedial civil rights training.

Hodges eventually sued the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Lake City, and Columbia County. His attorney John Phillips is also requesting a federal investigation into the Sheriff’s Office.

“Police protect us and we depend on police to do a hero’s job,” said Phillips. “But when they are poorly trained, when they abuse their power, it is the biggest breach of trust that our society has.”