TISBURY, MA-A waitress at a diner in Massachusetts dropped a dime on an 84-year-old retired police officer and Korean War veteran who works as a school crossing guard. Stephen Nichols had his legally owned weapons confiscated by Tisbury police officers because of a complaint made by the waitress to the department.
Mr. Nichols made a comment about a school resource officer in his district leaving his post and said in earshot of the waitress, “Somebody can shoot up the school” in his absence.
The waitress took those words to the police department and filed a complaint two days later. Police apprehended Nichols while performing his duties as a crossing guard, then drove him to his house where they confiscated his legally owned firearms and firearms license.
“He came up and told me what I said was a felony but he wasn’t going to charge me,” he said of the police officer.
The Daily Caller Foundation found that Nichols has no criminal record. On October 15th, after public outcry, Nichols was reinstated by the police department.
The department faced enormous public backlash over its treatment of an American hero from the “Greatest Generation” and even had to shut down their Facebook page.
“Sorry about the temporary hiding of our Facebook page but it was not being used as intended. We are happy to receive constructive properly delivered criticism, but when that criticism turns into hateful, expletive filled messages, not only directed at Officers but their families, that is when the line gets crossed,” the department said. “We updated our Facebook settings to rule out those posts or comments that solely intend to incite something more than a meaningful dialogue.”
