Greer South Carolina
The call Rollins made to SLED
Kyle Joslin is a self styled ‘government watchdog’ who volunteers his time to hold public servants accountable to the law. In the fall of 2022, Kyle Joslin had an interaction with a Landrum City police officer in which he observed the window tint on a city vehicle was darker than allowed under state law. S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5015(regulating window tint and making a specific exception for law enforcement vehicles “used regularly to transport a canine” but not for any other law enforcement vehicles). During the interaction the officer admitted on video that he did not transport a canine in the vehicle. Aware that a citizen can request an summons in lieu of an arrest warrant directly from a judge, Kyle Joslin decided to approach the municipal judge for Landrum and request said summons. S.C. Code Ann. § 22-5-115 (“[A] summary court or municipal judge may issue a summons to appear for trial instead of an arrest warrant, based upon a sworn statement of an affiant who is not a law enforcement officer investigating the case.”).
More of Kyles work
Landrum City has a single municipal judge, John Rollins, who works part time. John Rollins does not hold standard office hours and is only on duty during court. Kyle Joslin enquired with court staff as to the next hearing date, expressed his intent to request a summons, and attended the next term of Court. There was a brief disruption when Kyle Joslin entered the courtroom. He attempted to bring his phone into the courtroom, but was informed the court categorically prohibited cell phones in the court. Kyle Joslin attempted to silence or turn off his phone as suggested by Supreme Court policy, but his challenge was rejected by John Rollins. After being addressed directly by John Rollins, Kyle Joslin secured his cellphone in his car and returned to the Court.
Kyle Joslin waited patiently in Court for nearly two hours while all other business was addressed. Once all scheduled business was addressed, and immediately before Court adjourned, Kyle Joslin approached the bench to ask for a summons. John Rollins cutoff Kyle Joslin and refused to hear his request. When Kyle Joslin enquired further, John Rollins threatened to hold Kyle Joslin in contempt for ‘disrupting his court’ even though no other persons were present. The whole, recorded exchange was over in two minutes. Kyle Joslin left the courtroom and returned to his truck across the street in the public parking lot.
That would have been the end of the story. John Rollins however worked himself into a tizzie inventing threats and ordered the bailiff to remove Kyle Joslin from the adjacent public parking lot. Kyle Joslin, aware that our Supreme Court has ruled that the public cannot be trespassed on public property, informed the bailiff of the same and refused to leave before he was ready. See State v. Hanapole 178 S.E.2d 247, 255 S.C. 258 (S.C. 1970) (“[S]ince Section 16-388 applies only to private property, a conviction thereunder for an alleged trespass upon public property is not warranted and cannot be sustained”). The bailiff left, Kyle Joslin resumed planning his route and subsequently left when ready.
Kyle Joslin, now aware that the John Rollins did not follow Supreme Court guidance in his courtroom, would not even consider a request to issue a summons, and flat ignored a Supreme Court ruling regarding public property, decided to inform the public by picketing in the vicinity of John Rollin’s office in Greer, SC. Kyle Joslin made a sign stating “John M. Rollins is a THUG Who Doesn’t Know THE LAW STATE vs Hanapole” and proceeded to pickett on the public road near John Rollin’s office. Kyle Joslin was not directly in front of John Rollin’s office, Kyle Joslin did not enquire about John Rollin’s comings and goings, and Kyle Joslin did not seek to confront Respondent. Kyle Joslin merely chose the most reasonable location to express an opinion about a public officer’s performance of his job: speech that is political speech.
On or about October 20th, while Kyle Joslin was parked on the public street and standing in the bed of his truck, John Rollins did randomly park in a public spot not adjacent to his office. John Rollins proceeded to walk to his office along which path Kyle Joslin happened to be adjacent. Kyle Joslin could not know where John Rollins would park and assumed he would have taken a nearer parking spot that would not have come close to where Kyle Joslin was located. When John Rollins approached, Kyle Joslin greeted him. Axon Body 3 X6030892V, 2022-10-20 13:36:50 (statement of John Rollins) (Officer: “What did [Joslin] say to you initially?” Rollins: “Something like, you going to your office, you here, something smart.”) John Rollins became hostile, backed against the nearest wall, and proceeded to call 911. John Rollins again worked himself into a tizzie inventing physical threats and did state on the recorded call “I am going to drop this son of a bitch in the yard.” Recorded 911 call on 10/20/2022. Kyle Joslin, having no desire for a physical confrontation, proceeded to the far side of the truck to leave. Axon Body 3 X6030892V, 2022-10-20 13:23:30 (statement of John Rollins) (“[Joslin’ knows its] about time for [police] to show he is going to get out.”). This again could have been the end of the story. John Rollins however rushed Kyle Joslin, physically grabbed him, pulled his own gun, placed the gun to Mr. Joslin’s temple, and held Kyle Joslin at gun point.
After reflecting on the foolishness of his actions, John Rollins brought an action for a restraining order to cover his own felonious acts of assault and pointing and presenting a firearm.
Always hopeful and unrelenting,
Kyle Joslin
