If you are on FB and follow the Presidio County Sheriff’s Department, or you saw one of the hundreds of times the AI Slop blogger David Flash posted it, you may have noticed a not-so-great picture of our President, Chairman of the Board, and CEO Jake Knobloch going around. Our publisher, Holly Pearson, reached out to Mr. Knobloch to see if he was willing to share any details. Mr. Knobloch was gracious enough to agree. Here is the transcript of the interview.
Holly Pearson: Mr. Knoblooch, your mugshot has been circling the internet far and wide over the past several days due to David Flash posting it dozens of times on all of his various AI Slop websites and his FB pages. Can you give us any details on why you were arrested?
Jake Knobloch: Hi Holly, thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to speak about this. I was returning home to Fort Davis after spending 3 nights and 4 days camping in the Big Bend Ranch State Park on Wednesday afternoon, May 27th. While stopped at the Marfa Border Patrol checkpoint, the dogs indicated and the agents asked me to pull aside. I did so and immediately told them the dogs surely smelled the hemp that I had legally bought at a state licensed retail store in Fort Davis. One of the Border Patrol agents claimed that any purchase of hemp is illegal according to federal law. This should not be true according to the federal farm bill of 2018 and the state bill of 2019, but I did not press the point once it was apparent the Border Patrol agent did not understand the law. I was then taken into custody at the Border Patrol check point to await pickup and transfer by a Presidio County Sheriff’s Deputy. Upon being transferred to Presidio County jail I was incarcerated overnight and released on bond the next day.
Holly Pearson: You were also charged with Unlawfully Carrying a Firearm, correct?
Jake Knobloch: Yes that is right. According to state law, since the Border Patrol agent didn’t understand that my possession of hemp was legal, they also charged me with unlawful carry because I had a pistol with me. I had been camping by myself in the Big Bend Ranch State Park just a few miles from the border and I typically carry a firearm with me when ever it is legal. I’ve had a license to carry in the State of Texas for about 2 decades.
Holly Pearson: It sounds like in your viewing of the situation, you should not have been arrested in the first place. That must have been a very difficult situation. Were you angry and how did you react?
Jake Knobloch: Yes of course it was difficult but I was not angry so much as disappointed. It would have been a lot cooler if the Border Patrol agents had understood the law, but I don’t blame them. The laws regarding cannabis have been changing a lot in Texas later and it must be hard for them to keep up. I can understand why they would err on the side of enforcing the law as strictly as possible. The real problem is that our politicians have pressed cannabis prohibition against the wishes of voters for a long time. Hopefully one day that will change. In fact, within a couple of weeks after my arrest, the US Supreme Court decided in US v. Hemani that simple cannabis possession, legal or not, cannot negate someone’s constitutional right to carry a firearm.
Holly Pearson: Was your firearm seized? Were you able to continue carrying a firearm for self defense after your arrest?
Jake Knobloch: Yes and yes, my firearm was kept as evidence by the Presidio County Sheriff, but my license to carry was not taken and I was able to carry another firearm while out on bond.
Holly Pearson: What was it like spending time in jail?
Jake Knobloch: Of course is was not a positive experience to say the least. I was booked around 4:30PM on Wednesday and not able to make a phone call until the next afternoon. I would complain about that but I was able to observe from my cell that the jailers were extremely busy. I asked a few times about a phone call and they let me know they would get me to the phone as soon as possible, but they were short staffed and doing the best they could. As I was about to talk to the bail bondsman, one of the jailers had to check me for weapons. He apologized and explained that he knew I didn’t have anything, but it was a required procedure. At that time I thanked him for being respectful the entire time I was in their custody. He also commented that he appreciated me be respectful and patient as well. If anyone reading this is interested in applying to work at the jail, they are hiring: https://www.presidiocountysheriff.com/job-openings.html
Holly Pearson: Who did you call when you were finally able to use the phone?
Jake Knobloch: I first tried to call my friend and neighbor, who is an attorney, but she did not answer. Next I called my friend and pastor Paul Harst. He answered and after I quickly explained the situation, he went to work to get me bailed out. I knew I would be able to count on him. Paul is a top notch individual and I’m happy to have him as a friend.
Holly Pearson: Are you still waiting for a trial?
Jake Knobloch: When the Justice of the Peace set my bond, she warned me that it could be over a year before my court date. My attorney tried to contact the County Attorney a few times and did not get a response. I’ve heard that the County Attorney had a baby around this time so it’s understandable she was difficult to get a hold of initially. I’m happy to hear about her new family member and wish her well. Once she looked at my case, she quickly decided not to prosecute. I received the Decline To Prosecute paperwork and was able to retrieve my firearm a couple of days later.
Holly Pearson: So all in all, this was not a huge deal and everything turned out fine in the end?
Jake Knobloch: Yes. I was only charged with 2 misdemeanors and my friends in law enforcement all assured me the charges would be dropped. I was not hiding the hemp because my understanding was it was legal to have, and I had a very small personal amount, eight tenths of a gram (0.8g). And the Supreme Court ruling took the gun charge off the table. The Border Patrol agents, the Sheriffs Deputy, the JP, and everyone else was courteous and respectful during the entire ordeal. I’m thankful to all of them. If we want to live in a free and just society, we have to expect that mistakes like this can happen.
Holly Pearson: How do you feel about your mugshot being published online?
Jake Knobloch: This is one thing that I do think is very unfair. Until someone is convicted of a crime I don’t think their mugshot should be publicized. It gives someone like David Flash, a total creep, the opportunity to smear people. My charges have been dropped, but no one besides you is publishing anything about that. When I left to go camping, I wished I had made time to get a haircut but was not able. Then I spend 3 nights at the ranch. It was hot and actually humid after it rained while I was there. Didn’t shave for three days. I was not in a good state to be having a picture taken. I was on the phone with my father when he first saw it and he exclaimed “Wow! You really look like a criminal in that picture.” My father likes to keep it real, that’s where I get it from.
Holly Pearson: It must have been embarrassing to have those charges hanging over your head for about 4 months. Did you feel like people were looking down on you for what happened?
Jake Knobloch: Well of course I did have that feeling, but most everyone I talked to was very supportive. Everyone was aware of the store in Fort Davis and once they heard the details they understood what was going on, for the most part. I did win election as Republican Party Chairman in Jeff Davis County during this time and there was a person who attempted to make a big deal of the situation. I was disappointed to see that she was contacting people and claiming all kinds of silly things. Once people heard my side of the story most of them wrote her off. I’m sure some people out there still don’t think my hemp use was a good thing and I understand that. This whole thing has actually finally given me to will to stop altogether and it’s been some time since I have indulged and don’t plan to again unless it becomes federally legal. With recent election results, maybe that will finally happen. One would think the Republican Party would support hemp use as a matter of personal liberty and resisting government overreach. A lot of nanny state Republicans have just been kicked out of office, which is great. If we look at what Justice Alito wrote in US v. Hemani, it’s clear that times are changing even if many Republican politicians haven’t figured it out:
“Marijuana consumption is increasingly common in this
country. Many States have legalized its use and sale, and
although possession of the drug remains a federal crime,
very few persons are convicted of that offense each year.
The Government has largely tolerated the production and
sale of marijuana when done in accord with state law, and
it has allowed a multi-billion-dollar marijuana business to
develop.1 For its part, Congress has restricted the use of
appropriated funds to prevent States from implementing
laws that allow the use, distribution, possession, or
cultivation of medical marijuana, or to prosecute certain parties
that produce, distribute, or possess marijuana in compliance
with state law.2 In these circumstances, marijuana use today
is like alcohol use at the founding. It is widespread and increasingly
considered socially acceptable in many quarters. And from
a practical standpoint, law enforcement widely tolerates
the use of marijuana.”
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1234_g2bh.pdf
Besides the current US Supreme Court, many Founding Fathers grew hemp. While there are plenty of people that claim they didn’t smoke it, George Washington wrote about separating the male and female plants, something only associated with potency and psychoactive effect, and Thomas Jefferson wrote about its use over tobacco.
