Court flustered by man who claims he’s not a person
By Dave Rogers, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
But upon further review of court documents, the demand appears to be part of a pattern of non-cooperation from the
During Wednesday's appearance at
Instead, Noone demanded a jury trial, which has been scheduled for later this summer. If convicted, he faces a potential fine of up to
Before declining the prosecutor's offer, Noone asked Doyle to present Mr. or Mrs. Commonwealth, prompting the not-amused judge to point toward Belmonte and say she was Mrs. Commonwealth.
According to
A check of Noone's name and date of birth, provided by Noone, showed that there was no license status for him and that he had been charged with unlicensed operation in
Court documents show that Noone's first appearance in court in early October resulted in his being thrown in jail for a day. Noone refused a court order to report to the probation department and complete an intake form used to determine whether he was eligible for a court-appointed attorney.
Noone also refused to sign a waiver of counsel, arguing that he was not a person. Those actions prompted Judge
In late January, Noone submitted a lengthy motion to dismiss the charge against him on the basis that the laws of the commonwealth do not apply to him. As part of the motion, Noone declared himself a non-person in terms of what the state considers a person.
"I,
Noone goes on to say that under the premise of "natural sovereignty," people are divided into natural persons or artificial persons. Artificial persons are those created and devised by human laws for the purposes of society and government, which are called corporations or bodies politic. Governments restrict the free will of natural persons, which goes against the will of God and does not allow persons to act as one thinks fit.
Noone's motion to dismiss was denied. He later failed to appear at his next court appearance in early April, resulting in a warrant for his arrest. The warrant was recalled nine days later when he was picked up.
Also included in his court document is information regarding the state's case against
During his trial, which he served as his own counsel, Schulte also argued he wasn't bound by the laws of the commonwealth, calling himself a "sovereign citizen." He went on to dispute Massachusetts General Laws regarding operating a motor vehicle and offered his own laws based on the country's Founding Fathers. At one point, he asked if the trooper who pulled him over had any documentation that proved the state owned the road where he was pulled over.
When the trooper said he did not, but he believed it to be a public way, Schulte then turned to the jury and dramatically announced, "Let the record show the Commonwealth of
According to the
"This causes all kinds of problems -- and crimes. For example, many sovereign citizens don't pay their taxes. They hold illegal courts that issue warrants for judges and police officers. They clog up the court system with frivolous lawsuits and liens against public officials to harass them. And they use fake money orders, personal checks and the like at government agencies, banks and businesses," according to the
Over the last several years, the
"One prevalent sovereign-citizen theory is the Redemption Theory, which claims the government went bankrupt when it abandoned the gold standard basis for currency in 1933 and began using citizens as collateral in trade agreements with foreign governments. These beliefs can provide a gateway to illegal activity because such individuals believe the U.S. government does not act in the best interests of the American people. By announcing themselves as sovereign citizens, they are emancipated from the responsibilities of being a U.S. citizen, including paying taxes, possessing a state driver's license, or obeying the law," according to the
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