An engraving titled “Mule and Ass,” by an unknown artist, dated 1578. (Wikipedia Commons via Courthouse News)
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (CN) As he traveled a historic trail with a pair of mules, John Sears says the California Highway Patrol violated his right to intrastate travel and his “ages-old nomadic way of life” when he was arrested in January last year.
Sears filed suit in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court last week seeking, among other things, to compel CHP officers to be trained to know that mules have a right to public roads.
“I think that police do not see mules very often, and often are unfamiliar with the applicable vehicle and AG codes,” Sears’ attorney Todd Cardiff, of San Diego, said in an interview. “Of course, not every law enforcement interaction is negative.”