Good Family Man Arrested: Controversy Surrounds Buhl ID Cops

Let me be clear, Eli Johnson is my friend. I like him. I know him to be a good family man, and he also served his country and former community. But I have to disagree with him when it comes to the video of his arrest by Buhl Police on December 21^st of last year.

Many of you already know the story. He was stopped for speeding when he pulled into his driveway. He was also asked if he was carrying drugs (the least likely guy I know to be involved in such activity). He took offense to the question and left his license with the policeman. Suggest the license and his ticket could be left at the door of his house. Then he went inside.

More police came. When he came to the door, he was tasered and then spent a night in jail.

He has since obtained the body camera video. He permitted me to share it, but I’m not. He wanted me to share a truncated version, which essentially shows the arrival of the Chief of Police and the tasing.

I’ve talked this over with upper management at Townsquare Media. We believe we cannot post edited videos if we intend to allow readers to make up their minds. It harms us if we don’t allow people to fully inform people and allow them to then make their judgments.

This is a misunderstanding that went wrong, but I trust that all of you can reach your conclusions. Mainstream media builds a narrative and attempts to guide your thinking process. My audience doesn’t like that approach. I can’t mislead people.