Megan says: "In Portland, OR a private citizen issued a parking ticket totaling $540 to a police officer who illegally parked in front of a Chinese restaurant while picking up his takeout. Turn about seems to be fair play!"
"If he had acknowledged and corrected his error, we could have avoided this whole thing," says [Eric] Bryant. "But instead, he kept watching basketball and told me he wasn't doing anything wrong."
Now, using ORS 153.058, Bryant–as a private citizen–has initiated violation proceedings against Officer Stensgaard. Bryant alleges Stensgaard was in violation of state statutes on illegal parking, illegal stopping, obeying parking restrictions on state highways, and illegal operation of an emergency vehicle or ambulance–the violations carry fines totaling $540.
Officer Stensgaard has received a Multnomah County summons to appear in traffic court on May 23. Meanwhile Bryant denies he is just stirring up trouble.
"Citizens should be concerned that he used his status as an officer of the law as justification for breaking the law," he says.
