Former County Official Jailed After Traffic Stop Stevens County Constitutionalist With Expired Car Tabs Won’T Talk To Officers

Former Stevens County Commissioner J.D. Anderson was arrested and jailed this week on charges of obstructing police and failing to identify himself as required in a routine traffic stop.

Sheriff Craig Thayer said one of his deputies, whom he declined to identify, stopped Anderson Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 395 in Colville. He was driving with expired license tabs.

Instead of producing a driver’s license as requested, Anderson offered documents supporting his claim not to need a license.

Anderson, who will be 64 on Christmas Day, is a Kettle Falls constitutionalist who believes many laws are invalid and that public officials are subject to numerous restrictions that they ignore. He served one term as a county commissioner and was defeated in the 1999 Republican primary.

Thayer said the deputy didn’t recognize Anderson, and neither did the state trooper or the Colville police officer who arrived a few minutes later as backup. The officers continued trying to persuade Anderson to cooperate, and sheriff’s Capt. Mike George eventually was called to the scene.

George identified Anderson, and the former commissioner was booked into jail about 45 minutes after he was stopped.

“They didn’t treat him any differently from any other citizen,” Thayer said. “The reports that I have indicate that they spent a great deal of time trying to obtain the information that they would for any traffic stop of that nature.”

Anderson said Friday that it was the police officers who improperly failed to answer his questions.

“I asked them questions and they didn’t answer, and by law they’re required to,” Anderson said. “So I exercised my Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. They were trying to get me to voluntarily waive my Fifth Amendment right and give them venue, but I didn’t do it.”

He said he asked the officers to read what he said are “several Supreme Court cases that say you’re not required to produce a license unless you’re in a commercial business.” Citing similar reasons, Anderson said he refused to be photographed or fingerprinted in the jail where he once led inspection tours.

Anderson said all the officers and jailers he encountered, except the one who arrested him, were “very nice” - although misguided. He blamed their boss, Thayer, for allegedly improper actions such as giving him a check for the cash that was taken from him while he was in jail.

“They took what the government considers money and gave me a demand to pay,” Anderson said, referring to the check. “I’m not going to sign it because then they would have my signature, but I’m going to charge them with stealing my money.”

Anyway, he said the check is made out to John D. Anderson, which isn’t his name. Like many people from the South, Anderson has only initials for his given name.

Anderson said the mistakes continued when he arrived in District Court after an hour and a half or so in a holding cell. Despite warnings that he has a copyright on capitalized uses of his name, he said officials wrote his name with all upper-case letters in court documents.

To be proper, Anderson said his name should been written as “JD; Anderson.”

Anderson said he refused to plead at Thursday’s hearing, but court officials say it was just a bail hearing and he wasn’t asked to plead. That’s scheduled Dec. 27.

Until then, Anderson remains free without bail.