'Anonymous Tip' call made by Chief Deputy Halbert

***Dash Cam will be fully released when we receive permission from our attorney***

Carter drove to Athens to pick up his brother from work.  On their way back, right outside Crossroads they were pulled over by Henderson County Constable Precinct 5 (also a friend of theirs).  They were not speeding and there was no other reason for the initial stop.  Within 5 minutes there was 8 units on scene, only two of which were marked Henderson County Units.  There were only two uniformed officers present, the rest were plain clothes.  Carter was dragged out of the car immediately and searched/patted down (without permission).  My older son Tyler, the passenger, was never searched, never asked for ID, or even asked his name until they were removing handcuffs and letting him out of a squad car, one hour and 20 minutes later.  He was cuffed about 10 minutes into the stop and put into a Henderson County SUV unit.  (this was clearly to separate him so they can harass Carter).  When he is cuffed, they still do not pat him or even ask him his name.  You can hear carter tell an officer to get away from the car, they don’t have permission to search, and you can see the officer enter the vehicle anyway.  Carter was body slammed, over a bridge with a 100 foot drop off, by a 300-pound constable and cuffed.  His feet were completely off the ground and my older son feared they were going to push him over the bridge completely.  We have pictures of the scrapes on his chest and the horrible marks the handcuffs left on both boys.  Tammy Gentry arrived on scene about 50 minutes into the stop, before the drug dog arrives.  We have Life360 on both boys and noticed they had been stopped in an unusual place for an extended amount of time and feared they’d had a wreck.  Upon her arrival, the demeanor of every office there visibly changes.  Drug dog arrives and finds nothing.  In the dash cam recording we received, Carter was asked several times if he’d made someone mad.  And you can hear Carter repeatedly ask to call his mom.  The constable shakes his personal phone at him and says, ‘no you can’t fucking call your mommy.’  They were never given a reason for the stop until they were releasing them one hour and twenty minutes later.  In the dash cam video, one officer in plain clothes is seen with his hands ALWAYS in his pockets.  When the drug dog arrives, he crosses the highway to the opposite side of the bridge and doesn’t cross back until the drug dog leaves.  Finally, at the end of the dash cam Tyler is finally told that an anonymous tip was called in that a blue mustang was driving through Crossroads with drugs and guns.  You can hear the constable on the dash cam video say he HAD a dash cam and it WAS recording.  I requested copies of ALL dash cams and the ‘anonymous tip call’.  There is ‘no dash cam’ from the constable’s car. I was told by the Henderson County Attorney Clint Davis that the constables’ vehicles are not equipped.  However, we have seen other Constable vehicles from the County that are the same make/model and they do have the rear-view mirror dash cams.  I only received one dash cam recording from the third deputy’s car.  The anonymous tip phone call was not anonymous.  Henderson County Deputy Chief Halbert called directly to dispatch and you can hear someone in the background giving him information directly.  I have a copy of that ‘call’, and he says a ‘blue OR yellow mustang’ and a 16-year-old, Carter Gentry.  Direct targeting and harassment.  As the boys were both cuffed on the side of HWY 59, other family members of the ex drove by. This family member used to work for the HCSO.  

The dash cam is from the 3rd vehicle, not the constable that initiated the stop.  The 3rd vehicle didn’t’ arrive until the constable had already forcibly removed Carter from the car with no reason, and pat searched him without permission.  That’s about the point the 3rd unit arrives (the boys think about 15 minutes into the stop.). If they’d been told the reason for the stop right here, they’d have consented the search on the vehicle. Carter was 16 at the time and was the driver.  Tyler was 20 at the time and was the passenger.  The ‘anonymous tip’ call that’s referenced in the dash cam numerous times was made by Chief Deputy Kevin Halbert – nothing anonymous about it.

2:57 - Ask for reason pulled over and why out of the car.

3:43 - Ask for reason/probable cause

4:44 - Carter asks for phone (again)

5:32 – Tyler cuffed but still not given any reason for stop OR asked his name.

6:49 – Carter cuffed/slammed over bridge railing

7:15 – Tyler put into squad car about 7 cars back.

8:59 – two officers are inside the car – one is killing the engine, the 2nd officer is on the other side and can’t be seen – after having been told to NOT enter the car

9:44 – the officer repeatedly tells Carter when he knows the ‘nature of the call he’ll understand’

10:30 – says all these important people didn’t roll out here for no reason, but still won’t give reason for the stop

12:22 – officer asks Carter if ‘he’s made anyone mad lately’

14:20 – the whole incident is ‘being videoed’ (but only produced ONE dash cam)

14:42 – again asks who Carter has ‘made mad’

15:14 – Chief Halbert arrives (he made the ‘anonymous tip call)

16:28-17:00 – microphones muted

17:26 – asks again for a reason for the stop, officer says they are being detained, ‘you see all these guys not in uniform?  It’s pretty serious’

19-22:34 – Microphones muted

22:20 – Chief Halbert leaves the scene

23:31 – Carter again asks to call mom

30:01 – family members of the Ex-girlfriend drive by. One used to work for HCSO

30:34 – reference “blue or yellow”

30:34-32:21 – everyone is behind the car with the dash cam recording.  One officer says Tyler is ‘grown if that changes anything’

32:40-40:42 – microphones muted

40:33 – again asks for reason for stop, again told it must be serious to have this amount of important people here

42:14 – Tyler asks officer if he knows the ex-girlfriend’s family.  He says yes.

44:38 – mom arrives in the ‘yellow mustang’ (Thanks Life 360)

46:26 – mom asks for reason, not given one

47:10 – officer states ‘something so simple has turned into a clusterfuck’.  (how would a tip for drugs and guns be simple?)

48:00 – drug dog arrives

49:15 – drug dog put up (note the constable stays away from the drug dog.  Also note, the drug dog would never have known if Tyler had drugs on him because he was in the unit.)

49:20-54:47 – muted microphones

54:57 –Tells Tyler the reason for the stop.  Says an anonymous tip from dispatch for ‘this vehicle’ with guns and narcotics.  Said the vehicle was seen by the school resource officer revving the pipes. (so shouldn’t the call have been for the BLUE mustang if it had been seen? Not just the blue or yellow?)

57:18 – finally asks Tyler his last name and DOB.

57:52 – apologizes and thanks Tyler and says ‘I know more will come from this’ then says the cuffs might be stiff bc he’d gotten them wet.  Both boys had definite marks from the cuffs cutting into them.

58:49 – Constable gives reason to Carter and mom – same story – that it was ‘this vehicle and the school resource officer saw it, call from dispatch, etc.’ and says the dash cam is recording and points at HIS vehicle which is the first one – but the county attorney said they aren’t equipped