A high-profile animal rights activists has bizarrely claimed she was stopped by a police officer because they support rival animals rights groups.
Angie Heringer, an executive director of US group ARC Angels 4 Animals, said one of the arresting officers belonged to A Love For Animals, a group she opposes.
A high-profile animal rights activists has bizarrely claimed she was stopped by a police officer because they support rival animals rights groups.
Angie Heringer, an executive director of US group ARC Angels 4 Animals, said one of the arresting officers belonged to A Love For Animals, a group she opposes.
The traffic stop lead to a violent confrontation and Heringer is now due to appear in court to face a string of charges including resisting arrest.
Officers stopped her over a defective headlamp but she reacted with fury and claimed she was being victimised.
She swore and yelled at the officers and had to be dragged out of the vehicle and then arrested to stop her driving off.
She later claimed arresting officer Alexandria Duncan was behind the stop because of her affiliation to the rival group.
But Heringer is already the subject of allegations over her animal rights activities one of which has lead to charges against her and she is well known to US law officers.
She was stopped in Jonesboro, Arkansas on May 27 at around 8pm when officers Duncan and Michael Talley of Jonesboro Police Department pulled her over in her white Lincoln SUV because they spotted a headlight was out on the driver’s side.
Officer Duncan approached Heringer, 55, of Jonesboro, and asked for her driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance.
Instead of complying, the report says Heringer “cursed and yelled at” Duncan and wouldn’t provide the items.
Duncan said she asked for the information at least three times as Heringer continued to argue aggressively with her. When Duncan ordered Heringer out of the car and tried to open the door she said Heringer began to scream and yelled, “get the f**k out of my car.”
The male officer then assisted Duncan by pulling Heringer her out of the vehicle to “keep her from driving off or grabbing a weapon”.
She was handcuffed and put into the back of a patrol car. She was cited for obstructing governmental operations, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, no proof of liability insurance, and improper headlights and will have to appear in court to answer the charges in July.
Heringer is the founder and executive director at ARC Angels 4 Animals.
In a Facebook post following the incident, Heringer posted several photos and her account of what happened.
In the post, she claimed Duncan pulled her over “fraudulently” and indicated the arrest was motivated by officer Duncan’s personal association with an animal rescue group, ALFA (A Love For Animals), which has found itself at odds with Heringer’s group.
In February a woman claimed Heringer had broken into her home and stolen her dogs.
Heringer denied the allegation and no charges were ever brought from the incident.
However, charges have been filed against her in a separate incident for harassment and criminal trespass.
In the case filed in September, 2016, the complainant, Karen Siegel, alleges Heringer drove past her house repeatedly in a white Lincoln SUV and threatened to run her out-of-town.
She is due in court for these charges on July 12.
