A former Southern Oregon man found himself behind bars for five days following what began as a dispute over a seatbelt ticket. Tracy Wayne Hevern, 63, once a resident of Bly, Oregon, and now living in Texas, was convicted of Resisting Arrest and Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree after a trial in Clackamas County Circuit Court. Publications, including Clackamas County News, reported the events leading up to Hevern's incarceration.
The incident that triggered Hevern's arrest occurred on Aug. 23, 2022, in a Canby Municipal Court, where he was being tried for not wearing a seatbelt. While Hevern agreed that he didn't use a seatbelt, he argued vehemently that the law was unconstitutional, as reported by Clackamas County News. He contended that if children on school buses are not required to wear seatbelts, he should not be obliged to wear one either. She found him guilty after Judge Ann Lininger suggested Hevern could take his concerns to Oregon legislators.
However, the conflict escalated when Hevern continued to dissent by yelling in the courtroom, leading to the judge increasing his fine. As he left the courtroom, Hevern's parting words were accusations that the judge was "on the take," a remark that prompted Lininger to order him back. Hevern's defiance and the following struggle with the officers culminated in additional charges against him.
Following a one-day trial in Clackamas County, Judge Lininger swiftly found Hevern guilty and handed down the sentence. The court's decision marks not the first run-in with the law for Hevern, who was convicted in Arizona of resisting arrest in 2018 and unlawful flight from law enforcement in 2019. These previous convictions paint a complex picture of Hevern's continual engagements with the judicial system.
