A Denver-area man filed a lawsuit today against a member of the
Secret Service for causing him to be arrested after he
approached Vice President Dick Cheney in Beaver Creek this
summer and criticized him for his policies concerning Iraq.
Attorney David Lane said that on June 16, Steve Howards was
walking his 7-year-old son to a piano practice, when he saw
Cheney surrounded by a group of people in an outdoor mall area,
shaking hands and posing for pictures with several people.
According to the lawsuit filed at U.S. District Court in
Denver, Howards and his son walked to about two-to-three feet
from where Cheney was standing, and said to the vice president,
"I think your policies in Iraq are reprehensible," or
words to that effect, then walked on.
Ten minutes later, according to Howards' lawsuit, he and his
son were walking back through the same area, when they were
approached by Secret Service agent Virgil D. "Gus"
Reichle Jr., who asked Howards if he had "assaulted"
the vice president. Howards denied doing so, but was nonetheless
placed in handcuffs and taken to the Eagle County Jail.
The lawsuit states that the Secret Service agent instructed
that Howards should be issued a summons for harassment, but that
on July 6 the Eagle County District Attorney's Office dismissed
all charges against Howards.
The lawsuit filed today alleges that Howards was arrested in
retaliation for having exercised his First Amendment right of
free speech, and that his arrest violated his Fourth Amendment
protection against unlawful seizure.
