Published: March 20, 2008 11:42 am            

Marine arrested after attempt to retrieve flag

A U.S. Marine Corps reservist was arrested Friday trying to retrieve the American flag from a protester.

Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said Ray Adam Modisette, 20, was arrested for interfering with an official police process. Clabes said his actions caused police to focus attention on him, rather than focus on maintaining peace during the protest.

Clabes said three groups were protesting outside Tinker Air Force Base on Friday. These included members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., a Christian group from Norman and another group of protesters on motorcycles. Clabes said the group from Norman was protesting the Westboro group.

About 15 minutes into the protest, a young man came from the north side of S.E. 29th Street headed to the point at which the Westboro people were situated, Clabes said.

“I personally was there with other officers to provide security for them,” Clabes said.

Police stopped Modisette at that point.

“He was extremely emotional,” Clabes said. “He told us he was a marine reservist and he served recently in Iraq.”

“I asked him personally to please go back across the street,” Clabes said.

Other officers at the scene also requested several times for Modisette to go back across the street and not to interfere with the protest and the duties of the police.

Clabes said Modisette told police he would not return and was not going to leave unless he had that flag. At that point police had no choice but to arrest him, and they did, Clabes said.

“At that point we were concerned other people would come across the street and come support Mr. Modisette,” Clabes said.

Modisette was arrested and removed from the scene and taken to the Midwest City Police Department where he was processed and released on $850 bond. Police discussed releasing him on his own recognizance, but he had already posted bond before that decision was made.

Clabes said Monday he sent formal correspondence requesting that the city prosecutor Randal Homburg dismiss the charges. The bond money will be returned to Modisette, Clabes said.

“It was a highly emotionally charged issue for him, and our obligation was to have a peaceful demonstration for everyone involved,” Clabes said. “It had a good outcome. Charges were dismissed and hopefully we can go on down the road and not have to deal with the Westboro Baptist Church anytime in the near future. We just want to make sure everybody’s safe. And we were successful.”

Shirley Phelps-Roper, Westboro Baptist Church member and attorney said Modisette was angry the flag was hanging upside down and members of the church were standing on the flag, showing it the proper respect it needs today.

“Don’t worship the flag, it can’t help you,” Phelps-Roper said. “And as for that young man, that rebel, he demonstrated again that the young people of this nation have been taught to disobey not only the laws of God, but also the laws of man.”

Phelps-Roper said the city attorney also sent another message to the people of doomed America.

“They’ve taught rebellion to these young people, so rebellion they get,” Phelps-Roper said. “That’s why God has cursed America.”

Phelps-Roper said the church was protesting adultery conducted by Dustin Thorson, who killed his children and himself on base last month.

“It was so awesome,” Phelps-Roper said. “Everything going on around us testified to the rebellion of this nation and to the faithfulness of our service to God. And all those people going by knew who we were and they were in raging rebellion against God and his standards.”

Police officers tried every way to convince Modisette to obey the law, Phelps-Roper said. As he came near Westboro members began talking to him.

“Those police officers did a very good job,” Phelps-Roper said.

Phelps-Roper said she and members of her church have been on the streets everyday for 17 years and have held more than 34,000 pickets.

“This arrogant nation thinks they can change God, inspite of his declarations that he will never change. They’ve been taught they can live anyway they want and God loves them anyway.”

Modisette said he was not even aware a protest was happening that day. He drove to Tinker to pick up items from the uniform shop. He was on his way to get a hair cut when he saw the protesters.

“As I’m pulling away, I see one of them with an American flag and she’s stuffing it down her nasty trousers,” Modisette said.

Modisette tried to keep driving, but said to himself, “I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight if I don’t go back.”

Modisette said he realized he was probably about to get in trouble.

He parked his vehicle at the Shell station on S.E. 29th and Air Depot and walked across and right up to a police officer on a motorbike and announced his intentions.

He approached the particular protester with the full intent of retrieving the flag, Modisette said.

“My intent was to retrieve that flag so it could be properly disposed of,” he said. “My intent was not to pummel these protesters. They live there life day to day. They’ll be judged.

“All there trying to do is upset someone enough to try to provoke a law suit. There’s free speech and there’s harassment. That’s the ridiculous point. And for us to let someone to use that symbol of our freedom and our nation’s pride as part of a scam is appalling.

Modisette said the flag was too important to him to leave.

“My sole intent was to alleviate the disgrace that was going on with that flag,” Modisette said.

Before reaching the flag, Modisette was distanced from the protesters by two Midwest City Police officers.

Modisette complimented the officers’ efforts. He said one of them was formerly in the military.

“It’s got to be unbelievably hard for those officers to stand there and protect that group,” Modisette said. “I have a lot of respect for those officers.”

Modisette said he has mostly received positive feedback for his actions.

He said he, like many Americans, took an oath - the Pledge of Allegiance.

“I know what it means when I say it and I mean it every time,” Modisette said. “I’ve seen to many broken bodies and broken lives laid down for that flag.”

Modisette said he does not regret his actions Friday.

“I had so many people call and tell me ‘I’m afraid of where this country is going, but people like you have given me hope.’”

Modisette said he hopes it makes people proud to see someone who can not stomach the kind of disrespect that occurred.

“My parents raised me right and they taught me to love and respect this country for what it is and what it’s given me,” Modisette said.

        

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