Sep 29, 2018 3 min read

Barring intervention from an appellate court, the convoluted case of Tim Parsons has led him to the threshold of Washington County jail, where he is to report by noon Monday.

In a court proceeding that lasted more than a half hour Wednesday afternoon, Parsons, 55, of Monongahela, tried several tactics to avoid incarceration.

Since his arrest in 2016, Parsons already has been to Superior Court and back.

An appellate judge decided he was asked prematurely to submit to a Court Reporting Network evaluation and remanded the case to Washington County Court, where it was assigned to Judge John DiSalle.

Parsons acted as his own attorney as a jury sat in judgment earlier this year.

Jurors convicted him of drunken driving, resisting arrest, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia in the early morning hours of Jan. 22, 2016, after a vehicle stop.

Parsons complained that the judge did not allow him to show surveillance video of the arresting officer at a convenience store before the vehicle stop.

On Wednesday, DiSalle told Parsons he had a right to be represented by an attorney.

Parsons countered with a motion that DiSalle recuse, or remove, himself from the case because prosecutor Cassidy Gerstner had previously been DiSalle’s law clerk.

“That’s a matter of public record,” DiSalle told Parsons. “A former law clerk does not have a conflict.” He denied Parsons’ request.

Parsons then presented a motion for extraordinary relief, calling into question the testimony of Dustin DeVault, a Monongahela patrolman.

“The jurors weighed the testimony,” the judge responded. “The jury found the testimony to be truthful.”

The drunken driving arrest was Parsons’ third, according to information presented by Probation Officer John Pankopf, who wrote a pre-sentence report but said Parsons declined to cooperate.

Deputy District Attorney Leslie Ridge said the DUI was Parsons’ first offense in 10 years.

“I’m not subject to the commonwealth,” the defendant said. “They’re secondary to me in the order of sovereignty.”

He called himself “a sovereign person, a flesh and blood person … The sovereign is the creator. He created people. The Constitution will tell that the people have all the power.”

Parsons’ argument did not sway the judge, who told him, “From the time you were stopped by police, through this whole procedure, you continue to show contempt for law enforcement, the court, the criminal justice system and the law of Pennsylvania.”

Parsons then objected, saying he was not a citizen.

“Why are you entitled to protection under the Constitution if you’re not a citizen?” the judge asked.

DiSalle imposed a sentence of seven to 23 months, followed by a year’s probation, 100 hours of community service plus $550 in fines. He ordered Parsons to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation, and attend highway safety and anger-management classes. He was ordered to have no contact with DeVault, who did not attend the sentencing hearing.

Parsons asked that he be able to remain free on bail pending appeal, which the judge denied.

“I’m going to ask Superior Court for an expedited stay,” Parsons said as he exited the courthouse. “It’s a farce, it’s a joke here. I’m not subject to the code.”