Oregon man arrested after refusing to wear face mask
Posted Jun 27, 2020 at 5:00 AM
John Kulbeth was eager to get his court appearance on a traffic charge for failure to stop for a school bus completed.
He arrived for municipal court in Sweet Home on Wednesday an hour earlier than his scheduled 10 a.m. appearance. A court clerk advised him to put on a face mask, he declined and stood in the back of the courtroom with his 6-year-old daughter, Baylee, far away from everyone else.
When Judge Larry Blake entered and saw him in the back of the room, “he proceeded to chew me out, tell me if I was not going to wear a mask he was going to hold me in contempt of court and have me lodged at Linn County Jail,” Kulbeth told the Statesman.
Kulbeth, who says he has breathing problems that led to him being medically discharged from the Army a decade ago, told the judge he would leave, took his daughter’s hand and walked to the parking lot.
Sweet Home Police Chief Jeff Lynn approached Kulbeth and told him the judge had ordered a warrant for his arrest.
After waiting for his wife to arrive to take their daughter, Kulbeth said he was arrested and booked into a holding cell in Sweet Home, where he said he spent the next two hours.
Though face coverings while indoors are required in seven counties in Oregon, including bordering Marion County, Linn County is not one of them.
Brandon Neish, Sweet Home’s Director of Courts and Finance Director, said an executive team that includes several city administrators decided everyone would be required to wear face masks in court when the municipal court reopened June 10. Court had been shut down prior to then since March due the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neish said notifications of mask requirements related to court appearances were sent out, though exemptions to that policy weren’t included.
“If somebody notifies us of a health condition then we certainly would not enforce that,” Neish said.
Kulbeth, a log-truck driver who’s business is based in Scio, said he never received that notice and didn’t learn about it until he arrived at the courtroom and saw a sign inside.
Neish said Kulbeth was not arrested for refusing to wear a mask, but because he left the courtroom without his case being completed.
After spending two hours in a holding cell, Kulbeth said Blake informed him his original case was continued to July 22, and to wear a face mask or bring a letter from a doctor saying he can’t wear a face mask or receive 30 days in jail for being in contempt of court.
https://www.registerguard.com/news/20200627/oregon-man-arrested-after-refusing-to-wear-face-mask
Truck Driver Arrested For Refusing to Wear a Mask in Oregon
–By Summer Smith -June 27, 2020
–
A truck driver in Oregon said that he was arrested for refusing to wear a mask.
John Kulbeth had a scheduled court appearance in Sweet Home, Oregon on Wednesday morning for failure to stop for a school bus.
Kulbeth said that when he arrived with his 6-year-old daughter, a court clerk told him that he needed to put on a mask. Mindful of social distancing, Kulbeth and his daughter sat at the back of the courtroom, far away from others.
When Judge Larry Blake entered the courtroom and saw Kulbeth at the back of the room without a mask, “he proceeded to chew me out, tell me if I was not going to wear a mask he was going to hold me in contempt of court and have me lodged at Linn County Jail,” Kulbeth told the Statesman.
Kulbeth said that he cannot wear a mask due to breathing problems. Kulbeth told the Statesman that his breathing problems were so severe they forced him to be medically discharged from the Army.
Kulbeth let the judge know that he could not wear a mask and told the judge that he’d leave the courtroom.
When Kulbeth reached his car, Sweet Home Police Chief Jeff Lynn approached Kulbeth and told him that the judge had ordered his arrest.
Kulbeth was arrested and spent 2 hours in a holding cell. Once released, he was informed his original case was moved to July 22. He was also told that when he returns he needs to bring a mask or a letter from his doctor, or he’d face 30 days in jail for contempt of court.
Seven counties in Oregon require face coverings, but Marion County — where Sweet Home is located — is not one of the counties that require face masks.
https://cdllife.com/2020/truck-driver-arrested-for-refusing-to-wear-a-mask-in-oregon/