UPDATED 9:43 a.m. EDT (JULY 1, U.S.A.) Police in Punta Gorda, Fla., arrested a woman last month during a traffic stop. The events on the day of the arrest strongly suggest the woman is an adherent to “sovereign citizen” beliefs.
“Sovereign citizens” may express an irrational belief that laws do not apply to them and that courts have no jurisdiction over them. Case after case has demonstrated the fallaciousness of the claims, many of which spread on the Internet.
Arrest records in Charlotte County, Fla., list the woman’s name as Linda Louise. Her age is listed as 66; her residency is listed as “unknown.”
ABC 7 — WZVN — is reporting that police said the woman’s license tag read, “America DOT 1890262 Exempt.”
Moreover, according to the station’s report, Louise said she was not driving. Rather, she was “traveling.” And she produced documents that purported her name was “Linda Louise Suae Potestate Esse.”
“Suae Potestate Esse” is a phrase that has appeared on websites associated with the so-called “sovereign citizens” movement.
(Visit Latin-Dictionary.org to learn the meaning of the phrase.)
It sometimes proves to be the case that “sovereign citizens” introduce unknowing individuals to schemes and expose the individuals who adopt the schemes to severe legal or economic jeopardy.
Read the ABC 7 story.