February 1998

 

 

Greetings from SUNNY Florida,

 

Central Missouri State University has finally backed down!

 

CMSU is one of the two university campuses that I was arrested on last Semester.  When it rains it pours!!!

 

The assistant to the President Mike Gant called the security on me, shut me down from preaching, led me on a wild goose chase through the administrative chain of command, denied me access to administrative officers even to the point of denying me their business cards, kicked me off campus and then had me arrested after I returned.

 

While I was in jail, CMSU campus security handed me a written letter banning me from campus.  Then a Security officer returned and stole my micro-cassette audio tapes from my personal property bag while I was behind bars.

 

No, I was not in Cuba.  My crime?  Preaching the Gospel on a college campus here in the United States.

 

I did not have enough cash to post bail so a local pastor’s wife from Kansas City drove Sister Bonnie to the jail in order to bail me out.  The pastor’s wife drove Sister Bonnie and I back to campus to get our truck.  When we arrived at our truck there was a campus security officer sitting in a squad car that was parked next to our truck.  We pulled into another parking lot and I had Sister Bonnie walk to our truck and drive it off campus property.  I took these precautionary measures because I was afraid that if the officer saw me on campus property that he might arrest me again since I had been officially banned from campus.

 

My attorneys were aghast and began firing letters to CMSU demanding that they drop the trespass charge, return my audio tapes, withdraw the ban, hand over me bail money and pay my attorney fees. 

At first CMSU thought that they had me, for they thought that they had stolen the tapes of my preaching and of Mr. Gant’s blatant violation of my rights.  CMSU knew that with out my audio tapes it would just be my word against Mr. Gant's word.

 

We told CMSU that we had the tapes of my encounter with Mr. Gant, due to the fact that I had anticipated an illegal seizure of my audio tapes by CMSU if I were to be arrested upon my return to campus so I hid them in my truck before I returned to campus.  At first CMSU did not believe us, so we offered to supply copies of the audio tapes, at their expense of course.

 

I am pleased to report that CMSU has since dropped all charges, withdrew the ban from campus, returned my audio tapes, handed over my bail money and has paid my attorney fees.   A photocopy of the check from the university is enclosed as well as some other correspondence.

 

This is the first time that the Lord has vindicated me to the extent that a University has had to pay money for their illegal treatment of me.  Thank the Lord!

 

We thank you for your love and prayers.

 

Brother Jim - Sister Bonnie - Aaron - Gabrielle