An Allen Township man accused of driving drunk wore a Coors Light sweatshirt to court today and offered a novel defence. The law doesn't apply to him, Scott A. Witmer said, because he is a "sovereign man."
"It means I live inside myself," Witmer, 44, told a curious Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito. "I don't live in the state of Pennsylvania."
Witmer was arrested by state police early on Aug. 24 after he allegedly drove drunk from his 1309 Adams St. home after troopers responded to a domestic violence call. Police also charged him with several summary offenses and said he did not have insurance for his vehicle, lacked valid license plates, and was driving on a revoked licence.
Accompanying Witmer's legal position was a 20-page motion he submitted in December in which he insisted the charges against him were unconstitutional. In the filing, he served notice on the court that to rule otherwise would be a "blatant act of TYRANNY," and akin to "committing acts of treason, usurpation and tyranny."
Witmer's claims brought raised eyebrows in the courtroom and concerns from Zito. The judge asked public defender James Connell to represent Witmer in a bail hearing held about an hour later in which he increased bail, causing Witmer to be led out of court in handcuffs. "I'm alarmed that you may be a danger to yourself or our community," Zito said.
Zito ordered Witmer to undergo a psychological examination, which didn't phase the defendant, who said, "I'm not insane" and "I'm not crazy."
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