Novel DUI defense: I'm my own country
Associated Press
EASTON, Pa. — A man accused of driving drunk says Pennsylvania courts have no jurisdiction over him because he's his own country.
After seeing the paperwork that 44-year-old Scott Allan Witmer filed with the court claiming sovereignty, a Northampton County judge said Tuesday he cannot be released from jail until he gets a mental exam.
Witmer, who represented himself, said he believes police lack jurisdiction to pull him over. As he said in court: "I live inside myself, not in Pennsylvania." He said there is no victim in the crime and asked to go to trial.
Defense attorney James Connell is serving as Witmer's standby counsel. He said a challenge to the traffic stop would need to be filed as a pretrial motion.
Over the years I've gotten some good and not so good legal advice about what to do in the case of a DWI, but this page of the playbook must have been torn out. Sure, Scott Witmer could have run a draw (refused the test), thrown a mid-range pass (take a breathalyzer), but he went for the Hail Mary and declared sovereignty. This guy will be enshrined in the Drunk Hall of Fame one day next to John Daly and Andre the Giant. Also I threw in the Devito drunk from the View photo because I like it.
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