Shadow Defense

🎥: "So Red Lodge must have a relatively small police department?" 👮‍♂️"No, it's a pretty good size little department." 🎥"So how many officers do you have?" 👮‍♂️" We have a little over seven." October 22, 2026 in Red Lodge, Montana, Sgt. Jeffrey Purvis of the Red Lodge Police Department handcuffed and cited First Amendment auditor Mike Norton of KULT News. Norton was charged with disorderly conduct after he filmed from a public sidewalk outside the Altana Federal Credit Union and Purvis confronted him. What happened: • A bank teller called about someone taking photos/video on the sidewalk. • Purvis arrived, questioned Norton, and asked for ID. Norton declined (as is his right under the 4th Amendment when not being detained for a crime). Purvis left. • About five minutes later, Purvis returned, immediately handcuffed Norton, and put him in the back of the squad car. • The stated reason: Someone inside the credit union claimed Norton flipped them off after Purvis left. Norton says he was over 115 feet away, couldn’t even see the people inside, and was nowhere near the building. He was cited under Montana Code 45-8-101 (disorderly conduct) and released. Norton has said he plans to fight the citation. Courts across the country have repeatedly held that flipping someone off is protected speech. There is no state where it is a crime by itself. Norton says he repeatedly told Purvis he was violating his rights and even suggested the sergeant Google “is it a crime to flip someone off in Montana.” Watch the full encounter. ❓Did raising his middle finger into the air meet the legal standard for disorderly conduct or did the officer simply not like being told no and came back with a flimsy reason for arrest? ❓What happens when an officer leaves, thinks about it for five minutes, then comes back and handcuffs you for something he didn’t even see? ❓Can a police officer arrest someone for a misdemeanor that someone tells them about or must they see it actually happen before they can make an arrest?