John Sears traveling through Paso Robles in 2013. File photo.
Court News Service Reports – 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.
While his mules have pleased many passersby eager for unique selfies, they have also caused run-ins with law enforcement. That’s what happened near Paso Robles on Jan. 23, 2020, when several motorists along the historic Juan Bautista de Anza Trail called police, claiming the mules were a safety hazard.