Former Cop Cops Plea in Bike Crash
John W. Diehl, 57 years of age and a former Washington, D.C. police officer, was offered a plea deal for his involvement in the hit-and-run of a cyclist in August, 2011. Evan Wilder was riding his bike and wearing a helmet cam when he was yelled at by Diehl from his truck to move over (see video above. Caution: Diehl and Wilder curse up a storm). Diehl then struck Wilder with the back right quarter of his car, sending Wilder to the pavement and damaging his bike. That was just the beginning as Diehl then lied to police, saying he wasn’t there, was never issued a court summons. He eventually turned himself in because of pressure from reporters on the incident. He will have to complete 25 hours of community service, anger management counseling, a driver safety course, and drug and alcohol treatment and the case will be dismissed.
Verbally assault someone, hit them with your truck, flee the scene, then lie to police about it? Yeah, having to pick up trash for 25 hours seems fair. More info here.
Hikers Rescued in Snowy Smokies
Needless to say, the Smokies have been getting pounded with some late season snow and that became a problem for 10 hikers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park over the weekend. Rangers rescued three separate groups of hikers off Clingmans Dome Road on Sunday. The original call was for a man suffering from chest pains in the Mount Collins Shelter, but rangers found eight other hikers in need of assistance upon their return trip, saying none of the hikers they found were prepared to hike in the snow. The end of the report says the area has “about three inches of snowfall.” WHAT! Stranded on a mountain because of three inches of snow?!?!? C’mon, man. Chest pains gets a pass, but the rest should maybe find a new hobby.
Fly Fishing Getting Bigger All the Time
A couple of interesting fly fishing new items came across the wires today, both involving the region and both provided by MidCurrent.
Number one is that the Georgia Senate passed a bill to make the red drum, or redfish, Georgia’s first saltwater game fish.
Number one is word that the Virginia Fly Fishing (& Wine) Festival is expanding in a major way. They will be screening Where the Yellowstone Goes, a feature-length documentary of a 600 mile fishing trip down the length of the Yellowstone River, as well as offering a bevy of new programs including health and wellness clinics and fly tying classes with Bob Clouser. There will also be a raffle to benefit the Virginia Rivers Defense Fund to help fight the Jackson River Lawsuit. This festival is the largest outdoor fly fishing festival in the country and is only getting bigger, which is great news for the industry in this part of the country. Most proceeds will go towards conservation work on the South River.
The festival will be held April 20-21 in Waynesboro, Virginia. The BRO Roadshow will also be there, so swing by our tent and check out our raffle also. See you there!
