Benton Arkansas Police Department Buffering Its Coffers Today on Military Road

How appropriate as it is Adolph Hitler’s Birthday Anniversary…

An Open Letter to Benton Arkansas Mayor David Mattingly, Benton Arkansas Police Chief Kirk Lane, Benton Chamber of Commerce and ALL Retail Shop Owners, especially the brand new store BIG LOTS.

I will no longer be shopping in Benton, Arkansas! I highly recommend, that all recipients of unjust seat belt tickets received on Military Road today, do likewise. Salem, Bryant and on-line will now obtain all of my shopping dollars. FYI… Big Lots, that was terrible advertising for you today. I haven’t been, nor now will I ever enter your doors.

To make a long story short, I was traveling Southwest on Military Road today in Benton Arkansas

I was stopped on the Southwest Lane with two passengers in my vehicle second in line at the traffic light. Minding my own business, but observing the officers on both sides of the 5 lane ‘road’ (a turning lane separates the double lanes), when I was shocked to hear a rapping on my passenger’s side window just as the light had turned green.

The Officer left the sidewalk, jaywalked through traffic into the innermost lane, and knocked on the passenger side window from the positions as viewed in my diagram. The officer told the passenger he was doing a seat belt check and informed me (the driver) to pull into the shopping center where the newly grand opened Big Lots is housed, without explaining that there was a problem, a warning or additional instructions for all of us to put on our seat belts.

I had to switch into the right lane and then make a right hand turn into the lot.

Driver and front seat passenger received a ticket, back seat passenger received none.

I left a call for the Police Chief  but it was not returned, so I contacted the Mayor’s Office and spoke to a very lovely woman named Loretta. Not five minutes after Loretta and I ended our call I received a “Private” call which turned out to be Chief Lane. This was a further lesson in futility. Therefore I will make my stand and not assist the town of Benton with any financial assistance other than what is necessary in keeping utilities. Oh… I am so done!