Causing a Natural Disaster to Party: The Case of James Scott | Overlooked
In 1993, the Midwestern United States was submerged by extreme rainfall and historic flooding that resulted in tens of deaths, billions of dollars in damages, and a breach of levees up and down the Mississippi River. In the small river town of Quincy, Illinois, 24-year-old James Scott was convicted under an obscure 1979 Missouri law for intentionally "causing a catastrophe". His alleged crime was causing the West Quincy levee to fail and his alleged motive was to strand his wife on the other side of the river so he could be free to party and go fishing with his friends. Though no one died in this levee breach, James is the first and only person in Missouri history convicted under this law and is currently serving a life sentence.
In this episode of Overlooked, Adam Pitluk, journalist and author of Damned to Eternity, returns to Quincy, IL to further investigate how James may have been scapegoated by local community and law enforcement officials whose tunnel vision firmly placed the blame on James, a crime which he maintains to this day that he didn't do.
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The fact that the one farmer refuses to say whether he thought James broke the levee and then says "he's served enough time" tells you everything you need to know. He needed the money but now feels guilty that a man is rotting in prison. James took the fall so that people could have insurance payouts. If there was a random burglary in the area or a fire, I could see viewing him as a suspect over that due to his past. But to break a levee? Sure looked like he wasn't partying when he did that interview shortly after the flooding started. Who breaks a levee to go party, then sticks around to do a TV interview? None of this makes any sense.
Absolutely that farmer should be investigated for insurance fraud also after
@@JustThatGuy1414 it probably wasn't that farmer's idea in the first place. the cops wanted to bust him, so they coerced the people and made it happen
None of us are safe. If they can pin a flood on James Scott, they can pin it on you too. Regardless of criminal record. They'll invent a story to make it work. Some prosecutors should be novelists instead of lawyers.
That 1 clip alone said it all.
@@chirso2460 Totally Agree........at some point the anger goes away or the common sense is easier to see. not sure if they shared how do they think he broke the levee? shovel or a magically underwater digging tool makes no sense
He got a lifetime in prison, so everyone else could commit insurance fraud. That's horrible in so many ways.
or just perhaps he was up to no good and thats why the levees broke. He never sounded or appeared innocent lol - his case is solid, but from day 1 he acted like a guilty person. However I wouldn't be able to sentence someone life, for crimes that aren't clear beyond a reasonable doubt ... he definitely had reasonable doubt!
@@lawrencem7843 Your underlying premise behind this statement is that you are guilty until proven innocent, which is obviously contrary to the way Merica is baby. You are the sub Lawrence.
@@lawrencem7843 how can you admit there is reasonable doubt the guy didn't do it but the case is solid because the guy acted guilty? That statement doesn't compute for me. Like I can tell you right now there is reasonable doubt that my 5 year old nephew didn't sink the titanic but every time I say titanic around him he acts guilty so by your standard I have a solid case against my 5 year old nephew right?
@@davidmwayi8611 you got it twisted - im saying i wouldn't of found him guilty - because there was no way you could convince me he was guilty beyond reasonable doubt... I was also saying that he never came across as innocent. Like his demeanor was one of a guilty person (and the mullet did not help lol) - I was saying that he acted super guilty and that didnt help lol - but yeah he should never have been charged - its a complete sham IMO
Well, it's not that simple. He was in custody already for a burglary. I'm not saying he deserves to still be in there but just like EVERY MSM narrative there is ALWAYS more to the story than what they tell you..
Greedy men have thrown someone's life away to collect an insurance payout. Absolutely vile and cruel. May James Scott be freed immediately.
The government did it.
Truth
AND WOMEN 😤 I’m a feminist.
I am from the area. Some of those farms are worth millions. I believe he is 100% innocent.
Wow, my heart dropped when it said his mother passed away, one of two people who had never abandoned him..RIP
I wonder if anyone out of the almost 2 million viewers would be willing to help.
@@luispirostrue but at least by watching and sharing we can get this case more known
@@luispiros theres a link too a go fund me account at the top!
Me too. I couldn't stop myself from crying.
@@luispiros I would. I just don't know how. Do you know what we could do?
It's terrible that we live in a society where a judicial system will put financial gain over someone's innocence
Pay up for the hard work.
Money runs the world people are pretenders
When you have “lifetime” politicians and district attorneys that go home every night and sleep fine even though they are way worse than some of the hardest criminals out there is astonishing! There is no JUSTICE in the system anymore
I didn’t even watch the video, but I’m so over - so fed up - with the American judicial system. This dude got life imprisonment and my mind went straight to: well, that’s a lifetime monetary supply for a private corporation & the government. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t condone his actions. But I have no faith in the American judicial system…when every defendant is just a price tag$ for a private corp/govt. & things like hefty fines, bail, & lengthy sentences exist. This is not the “Land of the Free”, this is the land of capitalizing on whatever or whoever you can… Lord help the people.
@@SunnyWithNoChanceOfRain you should watch it.
Wow. The fact he is willing to continue to insist his innocence, plus his say he didn’t hate the people, but what they did. That’s a man who has complete clarity of the situation. He has overcame his anger.That man is innocent. 100 percent.
How would he even have broken the levee, he would have needed explosives or heavy machinery
He's a better man than those landowners will ever be. They have an expert, with actual science telling them that it was inevitable that the levee would fail! This is so infuriating!
@@josephmartin5483 This is what I said! How the hell did he manage to break the levee without equipment, anyone noticing, and in such a short amount of time? He couldn't! That's how
Dude his mom passed away. That's soo incredibly sad for her to go without ever getting to hold her son again..
Probably one of the worst abuses of power I’ve ever seen. All these prominent men in town were freaking out bc their insurance doesn’t cover flooding until they saw this guy on the news. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone getting life in prison for a nonviolent crime where no one died or even hurt.
You need to look up all of the guys who got life for weed
Worst part is if he had money he would be free. In his and his mothers case, money truly does buy access to their life’s happiness.
Who cares! He's just one peasant! The judge got paid, the prosecutor got paid, the police got paid, the farmer got paid and thats all that matters!! Im a doctor and peasants like him are worth about 100 dollars, if that lol.
@@b00biejingles those charges weren’t for weed.
It's weird that he was arrested for two separate instances of arson (one of which was a whole spree AFTER a whole school) and many burglary charges. On paper he looks like the best candidate in any town unless they have a comic book villain and he worked on the levee that day "just to help out" A deranged psycho like him sweating his ass off just for the betterment of his community?
There is no way that, after spending 27.5 years, there’s no way that the state could ever admit fault after this long and so it’s so upsetting to know he is serving a lifetime sentence and he did not deserve it. It’s sad to know about this. I hope he gets out.
That's always the card the ppl in power play. Save face. U know what's insane? It should be the opposite. They SHOULD be HOUNDED until they admit wrongdoing but they won't be because the public is- by design -mostly ignorant
The state got what the wanted out it. They'll never admit to anything
they won't admit wrongdoing because they know the lawsuit would end them
They won’t admit anything because it would necessitate paying him some sort of settlement , I imagine.
Even if they were to admit they were wrong and his conviction was vacated he could sue but he'd cap out at an absurdly small amount of money. I feel like this comes into play with the state not admitting anything but I also feel like it's more about saving face. And also about hundreds of thousands insurance claims and federal disaster relief funds...
That is the strangest case I ever heard of. There people walking the streets right that have been released after deadly crimes. It appears he may have been a scapegoat.
This is heartbreaking. I hope he can get home and find some semblance of peace and happiness outside of prison.
Cases like this really make it clear why so many people don't trust our justice system.
Tough to be poor & try to defend yourself
Its a just us system. for them, the Clintons, gary genslers, ken Griffins, bidens, romneys, cheneys and so forth. Not you and me.
@@dont.ripfuller6587Specially for all the rich rotten-to-the-core Republican haters and Dagobert Trumps. Or for sickos like Amber Heard..
@@dont.ripfuller6587 youre forgetting drump, though he may soon be indicted.
Who cares! He's just one peasant! The judge got paid, the prosecutor got paid, the police got paid, the farmer got paid and thats all that matters!! Im a doctor and peasants like him are worth about 100 dollars, if that lol.
Massive amount of respect to the Journalist for telling this story, if he had not, would we ever really know about James Scott? Imagine all James Scotts (innocent people) rotting in prison who don't have a journalist telling their story.
No. And it sounds like he's one of the few honest journalists left in America. How can the Judge the jury and everybody else be ignoring the science behind this levee break? That's what I don't understand.
The guy who spoke towards the end of the video about this making Missouri look bad I was thinking the same thing it makes Missouri and look like they are BEYOND STUPID.
I may need to reach out to some journalists soon. I’m in the middle of a court case where I was assaulted by a police officer in my home during a seizure. The officer claimed I hit them & proceeded to issue a warrant against me for felony assault on an officer… even though I was incoherent from having a seizure & in a postictal state. I’m dreading the court date in February. The laws in this country are a joke & meant to oppress people more than help them it seems.
@@StealthyZombie thats horrible! my brother expieriences seizures, so i'm aware of how out of it you can be. i would definitely try and reach out to some journalists if you can! the police will absolutely try and twist the story on you, so if youre legally allowed to speak on it then i believe you should! i'm hoping you have a competant judge and the case is rightfully thrown out. good luck!
@@suzannenichols6900 it’s EVERYWHERE EVERYONE and EVERYTHING not just Missouri…it’s all these people all around us
Thanks for covering these stories. And trying to help this innocent man. My heart goes out to him.
This guy's mom! Wow 😔 My heart hurts for that woman. When she said I can feel it right here and pointed at her chest then she said and nobody will take that from me. I hope she gets to hug her son again someday!!
She's dead 😢
They never even explained how he supposedly damaged the levy to cause the flood. How anyone can look at that “evidence” and conclude that any one person was responsible is insane. They found a patsy they figured the world would forget. Thank you Adam for bringing attention to this injustice. I hope this man gets his well deserved freedom.
Yeah he would need like a bulldozer or explosives.
I find it hard to believe a single man could break a levee without any form of evidence or direct eyewitness testimony. I hope he is freed and compensated.
Right no explosion no dozer what he do use a shovel like come on
@@jkdunk20001988, I said the same thing. A shovel could do it.. But it would take hours and hours. The likelihood of anyone going that far so they could party is non existent. And he would likely have been caught in those hours and hours of digging. He would have been caught using heavy equipment.. Because it's so loud. Also, uh, it took keys to start the engine even back then.
If he did he would of drowned from breaking the levee.
A shovel could do it, but he would be completely dirty and it would be extremely dangerous for a non-engineer to break a levee. The fact that it broke at its weakest point after massive up-river flooding is the evidence that should free him, but alas here we are. Obviously this guy is no engineer, and the likelihood of him randomly destroying it at the same spot trained engineers would say is its weakest point is ludicrous.
@@H3LLS4NG3L Exactly.
Im born and raised about 35 miles north of quincy, il. I was only 5 when the flood of 93 happened, but still to this day, i remember helping fill sandbags with my family along side the national guard.
I was a trouble maker when I was a teen. When my junior high was broken into, and vandalized, I was accused of the crime, because of my past behavior. If it wasn't for my iron clad alibi, who knows what would have happened. A troubled past, doesn't always add up to what happened here. Especially a life sentence. This man should be able to go home.
In 5th grade i started a small fire in the girls restroom. It was a call for help.. but i got suspended. A week into my suspension the boiler in the school exploded and burned down half the school. Police, school officials showed up at my house saying i burned down the school. I hadn't been able to leave my bedroom except to use the restroom. My parents didnt even defend me. Fire officials cleared me a month later. But every teacher and student believed I set fire to the school and it followed me for years. Also happened in 93.
His mom passing away made this so much more sad. She was waiting on the day he was going to come home. praying for this man to get out
I couldn’t help but tear up reading that @ Jim’s Mom has passed away since filming. This life sentence is a travesty of Justice! The way the towns ppl of Quincy made Jimmy the scapegoat for a natural disaster that breached of the levees is asinine. Ppl get angry and have to find someone to blame. If anyone is liable for the breech then let’s start w/the Army Corps Engineers and the town officials for not maintaining proper infrastructure. 🥺🥺🥺
Stop praying start doing. Hope is an incredibly powerful and often overlooked psychological force. During the 1950s, Curt Richter, a Denver native, Harvard Graduate and scientist with John Hopkins University, conducted a profound (and by today’s standards incredibly cruel) experiment on rats. Dr. Richter placed rats into buckets of water and timed their ability to swim. Rats, who are apparently known for their strong swimming skills, lasted an average of 15 minutes before drowning. In a second experiment, Richter rescued the rats when he saw them begin to stop swimming and sink. When he took them out, he dried them off and gave them a short period of rest (I like to picture him doing this with a mini, yet plush, rat-size towel). And then, just as they were dry and rested, Richter put them back into the water. However, this time Richter identified a substantial behavioral change. The rescued rats swam longer than 15 minutes. In fact, they swam for nearly 60 hours.
When that politician said that he judges someone’s past behaviour as evidence to predict future behaviour basically said that James Scott was picked as the perfect scapegoat because of his previous crimes and that he was actually being punished for his past because he was going to end up in jail anyway. He was definitely right about one thing,James Scott was the perfect scapegoat because he wouldn’t plead guilty, he wouldn’t take a deal and he won’t lie to a parole board to finally get out of prison. So essentially, once he was convicted they had nothing to worry about because James will keep himself in prison due to his moral compass being set way higher than the greedy motherfuckers that decided they were the only ones deserving of a new home while there was no disaster relief fund for the rest of the community. Disgusting.
That’s flesh and blood AI for you.
Yeah, not a scrap of physical evidence was brought to trial. It is disgusting.
add in the fact insurance companies would only paying being in certain conditions and you definitely start to see some cohesion to protect the public's image of the state and national government..
Imagine being black in those areas.......look how they profiled him
I cannot tell you how ANGRY that made me! I know NONE of these people, but I can feel the hubris oozing from that politician and found myself screaming obscenities at him through the television set. I trust that the universe will show everyone the justice they deserve and pray that Jim is able to rejoin his family at home! 💗
Incredible journalism, heartbreaking story of corruption and greed. I hope with all my heart James will one day get the freedom he deserves.
"A person's past kind of tells you what path he's taken." This is antithetical to how the justice system is meant to work. You cant use priors to convict someone when it has nothing to do with the crime someone is currently being charged with. Terrifying people with that mentality can hold a position with such power over other individuals' lives.
This man should have been home. People commit murder and serve less time. This is INSANE
Or people like Casey Anthony served none
Redress your out of control government.
Right. Whether he did it or not
Nickolas Cruz killed 17, and wounded dozens of others and didn't get the death penalty. Darrell Brooks killed 6 and wounded 70 others. Wisconsin doesn't have the death penalty. James Scott got life for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. This is so wrong.
Literally murdering torture rapists like the Toybox killer got less time
This needs to be played across every media outlet.
If you want to really help, check out The Innocence Project, there goal is get people in prison out for being wrongfully accused. They've been doing pretty good too, I can't recall how many inmates they've got out, but it's quite a bit. Of course they want you to donate, but it's for a good cause.
Done…thanks for the info!
Who cares! He's just one peasant! The judge got paid, the prosecutor got paid, the police got paid, the farmer got paid and thats all that matters!! Im a doctor and peasants like him are worth about 100 dollars, if that lol.
I guess the moral of the story is that if you have a bad reputation, don't help out your town. Don't fill sandbags, don't fetch water for the professional crews, don't do anything except demand they work faster. Because the moment something goes wrong the fingers will be pointing directly at you. "Good people" will throw screaming tantrums while they demand that you be jailed.
Beyond that, community service is for suckers. Take care of your own family and ignore the animals that beg for help.
Truth
Thank you for your thoughtfulness and humanity
As a Missouri resident I’m shocked I’ve not heard of this yet I’m not surprised how it turned out. I am a horticulture major, I’ve taken a soils class. I have heard of MANY petty farming lawsuits. And it’s mostly all for money. FREE THIS MAN. This breaks my heart. Missouri has SO MUCH WORK TO DO
I lived through this flood, just south of St Louis and I remember hearing about this when it happened and it didn't make much sense to me. I was 12. It didn't make sense to a twelve-year-old because it doesn't make sense. It's crazy how this story gains a ton of traction throughout the entire world but Missouri does its best to sweep it under the rug and, unfortunately, has so far been remotely successful at that. Until now... As a Missourian, I used to challenge Missouri to do better. At times I would demand it do better. Now, with this case, I just plea and beg Missouri to do better. (It should have never come to this. But it did. And it should have done better decades ago. But if begging will work, I will do it. I ain't too proud.) As a Missourian, you know how we are a very loyal and proud type of people. A group unique in its own. And we have many of reason as missourians to be proud. But this is a disgrace not only to our state, but to us as a 'people', as a group. Why we have not remedied this by now is not only mind-blowing but unacceptable.
I agree, free this man! And clear his name! Get to work Missouri
It’s pretty crazy how corrupt local officials can get. Local media does its level best to keep it quiet, but you’ll see the corruption if you just pay attention. The most common thing seems to be the “open secret” about rich and powerful families. Think Epstein, but on a smaller local scale.
the best thing you can do is share this with as many people as you can in Missouri and have them contact the state dep. Enough people get their eyes on it the worse it looks for Missouri.
I’ve lived in Illinois my whole life and never even heard about any of this, should’ve left this mf under water or at least treated it as a natural disaster and not a crime, rushing water is deadly, if it can move big ass metal cars why tf wouldn’t it move some bags of dirt out of its way, there was no crime committed free James Scott.
My sister's boyfriend was murdered by a Felon who was only out of prison for a month in Missouri he also kidnapped her after he shot and ran over her boyfriend and he received a measly 12 years. This is absolutely ridiculous. This man deserves to be freed immediately and deserves to be paid for being wrongly convicted!!
Yeah, what are a few peoples’ lives compared to a rich man’s spending money?
It's almost as if the legal system is there to protect capital and not people.
In November of 1993 I was putting a roof on a building in 90+ heat. It wasn't just the Mississippi but also the Merimac and Missouri rivers.
Sad that his gofundme has only raised 8k. I’m a disabled single mom so I wish I could do more but I’m still going to donate. Please please please everyone help this man. Even if it’s only $1, it will all add up!
I can remember when this happened. It was definitely all over the news within at least an hour radius. Even if he did do it, which is hard to even fathom how one man without heavy equipment could make any kind of difference in the integrity of a huge levee when it took hundreds of people to construct, there is no way he should still be sitting in prison for it. RIDICULOUS. #freejimmy
@@twhis9843 Can you specify the actions he supposedly took? Because that is exactly what is missing in this story. A detailed description of what a single man could have done to the levee to make it succumb to the pressure. And this without leaving any kind of evidence or witnesses.
@@twhis9843 I'm sorry to hear that you were personally affected by the flooding. It sounds like you were one of the ones who were trying to help prevent the disaster from spreading beyond what devastation was already taking place. My comment was really to highlight the excessive sentence. Even if he did do what he was convicted of doing ...spending almost 3 decades behind bars for this kind of crime is what is ridiculous. This just doesn't seem like the crime where someone should be locked up and the key thrown away. Compare this sentence to what Congress sought to give anyone who destroyed United States property by fire which was at least 5 years. According to Justice.gov, the 5 year sentence was " intended to be long enough to deter". He's served his time.
@@twhis9843 T Whis caused the flood. MY claim is as good as yours. Claiming something with literally ZERO evidence is what children do.
Exactly a one minute detail of how one man could cause this would have went a long way
@@twhis9843 you sure it isn't just lack of upkeep like most government funded stuff? JW
The fact that the judge mentioned getting “sexually aroused” makes me think it must take one to know one. Because that would’ve never even crossed my mind.
Judge in someone's pocket probably the so call business men's insurance scam never admit you are wrong.
I get what you’re saying, that judge sucks, but the judge might’ve seen cases that makes him consider that possibility. I don’t think that makes him a ‘take one to know one”. If you’ve ever worked with troubled people, criminals, sex offenders, you get jaded. That’s no excuse for being biased, but judge and jury are a fallible humans and they should be disgraced for this judgement.
He was talking about the feeling he gets while unjustly sentencing someone.
A Nonce more than likely. Dirty old Bugger.
Arsons are often sexually arouses by it
Great reporting, Vice. More of it like this, please.
WTH, this is a crazy story, even crazier that an attorney hasn’t been able to get this guy out after all these years!
The more I watch these kinds of documentaries, the more I realize how corrupted the justice system and law makers are. Money creates such greed, it's disgusting.
Not money. It is a tool without a brain/will. It is the corrupted/toxic people who are at fault/who are the problem.
Stay woke
Cause the recent viral footage of dozens of black people being killed, assaulted, and harassed by the system wasn't quite enough...
Cbd spice corn
Be careful. A lot of these innocence project type endeavors are about the fundraising, not the innocence of the person being used to raise money. They have done this with several violent, righteously convicted criminals who were absolutely guilty as charged.
So the government basically put the blame on one man for their infrastructure failure and for insurance fraud.
Pretty much
Everyone in prison is innocent
@@americannightmare2109 Ok don't go that far.. This man may be innocent but that doesn't mean everyone is.
@@americannightmare2109 take it from a man who spent six years in Max...they aren't...you may find one in a million who is wrongfully imprisoned. They may say they are there wrongfully...but listen to their poker table talk...they arent
Sounds about right... has the government changed? No... there are still people from the Jan 6 bs that have not been charged sitting in solitary confinement... ALMOST 3 yrs later. So this story sounds about right
good work, nice story, this needed a voice! rip mom
Corruption, greed and lies toped with injustice... This story is so 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
I've lived in Quincy my whole life. This man was buried by the media and the big wigs of quincy. It's a shame that we still cannot correct. Idk why the 3 officers that directly named him without evidence weren't spoken of.
If you can, name those officers. This is yet another shame where the "law enforcement" mafia has illegitimately punished someone for corporate interests.
They absolutely DEMONIZED that man dude SMFH
Regarding the last bit. You’re GOD DAMN RIGHT BUD!!!!
@@donaldmach3373 One of them is named Neil Baker
I've lived in southern Illinois all of my life and seen alot of the southern levees and to think one dude could compromise a levee without explosives or equipment is absolutely insane
I am "the science guy" in the video. An unbelieveable component of the trial, for which I was an expert witness for the defense, was the judge refused to let me cite long-published and accepted scientific research on the grounds that it is "hearsay." This included a manuscript published in Science, the most rigorous and respected American scientific publication, by Luna Leopold, the "father" of American fluvial geomorphology--the study of river system dynamics and processes. "
Keep at it David - that fella needs you. I hope people learn more of this and demand his release and pardon. You're doing a fine job for someone who needs a champion.
So glad you're continuing to speak up about this outrageous injustice. Thank you for that!
if it's really you, you're a real one for backing him like this, never stop fighting !!
Thank you for your work
I wish there were more people around, like yourself. Honesty, integrity and backbone are becoming relics of the past.
Oh no… the update at the end crushed me. I hope he gets freed before his hearing this is bs
This man James Scott was apart of one of the best episodes of Cops back in the 90s.
The line at the end, that said that his mother died since filming this, was like a punch to the gut. What a shame :/
I KNOW. That really hurt. She had so much faith that I was starting to believe her. My heart breaks for her.
She just passed away in the last 6 months.
Just awful
Lesson to be learned here. Don’t get locked up cause life happens
This is one of the saddest, terrifying, and infuriating stories ive heard in a while.
This is excellent work and it is very hard to watch too.
i live in quincy, i remember the levee breaking. James Scott was majorly screwed on this. hes an innocent man. just goes to show you Dont volunteer or get involved in disaster or event.
No good deed goes unpunished
This is so sad..I can’t ever wrap my mind around it. Kudos to this reporter and Vice for putting his story out there
This guy shouldn't have serve the day in prison let alone the life. I absolutely agree, God bless this reporter. I hope with journalism and persistence something can be changed
This is the type of story that made vice matter. It's good to see them go back to there roots.
Let this man go home 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
Rididititu
It is hard to wrap our minds around when they only give us one side of the story. It makes more sense looking at the evidence the jury actually saw. One piece of evidence, according to detective Neil Baker was a friking confession.
I went to the university of Missouri at the same time you did and bagged sand for the levies. The core of engineering reported that the levies couldn’t hold back the river. I am so desperately sad that this man is in prison for a national disaster and the people who collect on this should pay reparations and possibly serve time for insurance fraud. Great journalism from Mizzu and keep the faith!!😢
...and be murded??
Reperations? 😂 relax
Good on you for throwing your hand in. :)
@@jimmypocketzBro what? He was wrongfully imprisoned. Those who wrongfully imprisoned him should pay for it. Have some humanity Mr. Grinch
James Scott was a criminal looooong before he committed the final crime that put him in jail. I have zero sympathy for him.
I didn't see a backhoe. One man could not have caused this. Set him free and pay him well for the life you stole from him. Do it now.
What they did to this man is horrible. The government should've hired the Dutch to control the water, instead of frame this man... Most of our country is below sea-level and we have helped many countries to hold back water.
Being a UK citizen, the American justice system absolutely terrifies me. The amount of local Police just looking for a scapegoat is so widespread, and ends up with these poor victims spending tens of years in prison based on circumstantial evidence or nonsense experts that holds no actual legal grounds. All they want to do is put anyone behind bars to make themselves look good. Horrific.
It's scary here dude stay in your country.
Look at your own history of hanging innocent people, or exiling thousands to Australia for stealing a loaf of bread - or the " breeding out" of aborigines, or the Indian genocide under Churchill. The million horrible things England did to become an empire. Then have a cuppa and get over yourself.
@@oliviamartini9700 Do you work in the American Justice system? You seem very defensive about it? - I was just pointing out the endless cases of these people who have served time for a crime they did not commit (it happens a lot in the USA). Not at one point did I say the UK has a rosy history of human rights or even defended it. No country is an angel.
nearly "same" thing, meaning the failure of the "justice" system, happend to a friend of me.. friend got robbed (from a black male), police interrogated him, found out it was a Black male... let him sit in there for like 15, 20 min. Came back with two Black males and much pressure on my friend to indetify one of them anyway, cause they all criminals and will end up in jail either way. (sure when the police [who has sworn to protect their people and community!] is willing to put random people in jail for crimes they never did, just for the stats and percentages in the final report to look good.) never will I set a foot on american soil, even if u would like to visit and see some of this sure beautiful country, I would be to freaking afraid of being convicted for whatever fits the situation. & iam, sadly, not the only one thinking so.. a lot of my European friends a thinking twice about visiting America! or what's wrong with police seizing tons of money for litterly no reason? I will link a "documentary" about am american Veteran who got all his hard earned and saved Dollars taken, seized from him caus the k9 dog was sniffing something in the money (could happen to everyone, caus in probably 80 to 90% of the cases the dog will sniff something out, just cause money is dirty and is being used for such things) I mean he even had all his bank details and documents that showed that he always takes his loan out, he doesn't trust Banks. even crazier is that he was on his way to his daughters to visit and make a fun weekend. he couldnt even be sure to get to them cuz had a lot of miles left, but no money for gas, fuel. what's happening in your country? the cop even called his dea colleague up to inform him about a "target" with such and sucb amounts of dollars and what the best way would be to get these!
and the veteran who got his money taken, still didn't get his 100.000$ back! and sry for my bad english grammar and vocabulary, still improving.. link from the problem, cops taking money from none offenders, will follow soon. have to find it. and just so u know, police is making this cause this money goes back in to their funds, so they can buy equipment etc for police what they otherwise wouldn't get, or would have other priorities to buy first! tactical gear, surveillance systems etc. if I got something wrong and u know it for sure how it really is, feel free to correct me! I would hate to give such comments etc turning out they arent right or true! iam open for everything, but don't even try to temper or twist facts! earth is not flat, keep it up!
I know a person who murdered my friend's mom in cold blood in the late 90's and to this day has no regrets of doing it, and he has had numerous parole hearings. How has James not had one?
Terrifying! How are you coping? I know off a man who raped his granddaughter for years since she was 9 and he got 3 years …
@@Weirdkauz That's horrible .dude should be worm food
It's because he maintains his innocence. If he pretended he was guilty and said he regretted it, he might get parole. The whole thing is a sham.
@@Auriflammeyou make an excellent point… it’s like they constantly make people plead to something they not guilty of to avoid longer and harsher sentences
27 years for a bad prank but 6 years for murder. Yeah, our court system is upside down. So sad to hear about his mom passing.
A guy who was a troubled teen gets blamed for breaching a LEVEE so he can party? That rings of scapegoating. 1) Breaching a levee isn't going to be easy 2) Wanting to party vs history as a troubled teen... that's a little too convenient 2b) Accidently burning down a school & purposely flooding a town are 2 entirely different things. One is careless, the other is active malevolence Mix that with massive profit incentives, engineers saying this wasn't his fault, and testimony from a guy who wanted money for an interview. That all requires a much closer look
This is absolutely ridiculous. That man needs to go home. Never should have gone to prison in the first place.
Pinning an immense natural disaster on an individual is absurd. I am so sorry to see that his mother has passed away.
I'm gonna see what I can do to help. I live on the missouri River in the historical district. I can probably get a petition signed to get this man released. I just need someone to help get everything in order as far as paperwork and the legal side, I'll get the signatures.
@@dans5643please, PLEASE do this. If you think about the injustice of it all, there are real criminals who've murdered & worse that have been incarcerated & are already walking free. Where the hell is the justice in that? I live on the other side of the country, but if I lived anywhere near you I'd be hitting the streets with you to get signatures & speaking with attorneys to see who would take his case. This is so VERY messed up! God will bless you immensely for this.
even just someone to talk to would be some help
@@dans5643 pls keep us updated it brodie
@@dans5643the narrator of this vice documentary set up a gofundme for his legal defense. Its raised over 15k. It’s the pinned comment.
Norman Haerr, the levee commissioner who did a bad job maintaining the levee because he ran a bulldozer over it, blames James Scott for the break. Nowhere in this story does he mention the giant boulders called riprap he trucked in from Iowa to reinforce the levee in the exact spot where it broke. Here’s a a question: if the levee was so solid, why truck in expensive rock to reinforce it? Also, Norman Haerr testified against James Scott but never disclosed that he would make hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance money if the levee failure was ruled an act of vandalism instead of an act of God.
Corruption goes deep.
Awwww his mom!! She is an amazing woman!! Much love to her, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the strength it takes for her being a rock for her son in the worst times of his life! Mad respect!!❤
Sadly, she passed away shortly after filming. Mentioned @ 24:40
REST IN PEACE ❤🩹
Who cares! He's just one peasant! The judge got paid, the prosecutor got paid, the police got paid, the farmer got paid and thats all that matters!! Im a doctor and peasants like him are worth about 100 dollars, if that lol.
Anyone who lives in that part of Missouri knows exactly how local law enforcement and the justice system works.
I was born in Quincy. The police framed my uncle in the 80s and he wound up doing 10 years in Marion prison.
That's how law enforcement works everywhere in the United States. Lol
Looks comical to be honest medieval investigation skills
@@peet315 Yeah. Real funny to a psychopath. Have a little empathy. Find yourself at the defendant table & see how funny it is
Crooks
This is so extremely sad. To take someones life and throw it away for greed of another because they believed his life wasn't nearly as valuable as theirs. Sadly our justice system is so broken and it is extremely overwhelming when you try to start thinking of ways to fix it. This could literally happen to any one of us and that terrifies me. To just be living your life and be accused of a crime, put in a situation where you have to prove your innocence, while the other side doesn't actually have to prove your guilt. What kind of justice system is that? Guilty until proven guiltier? I can't imagine being thrown in jail, losing my career, the embarrassment it would cause my family, as well as myself. At that point I would do anything to get out of there, that I think I would just take whatever deal they threw at me then spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to try and fight it, just to end up with the exact same deal. No chance to actually defend yourself and to feel like you had no voice at all has got to be the most defeating lonely moment in someones life. God love this poor man!
sending a man down to get a payout.... disgusting
He didn't get to go to his mom's funeral, either. That is shameful for the town.
She’s dead?
@@Weirdkauz Yes, passed.
Oh NO!! How horrible!! I was truly praying that he would get out before his mother would pass away....just heartbreaking!! I'm sure all these years he was a good prisoner...they could have let him go to her funeral with armed guards to secure him so he would be able to pay his final last respects to his mother...that REALLY pisses me off!!!😡
@@helenawarsinnak Exactly! It happens often .
Even if he absolutely 100% WAS guilty, a lifetime sentence is asinine. Infuriating and shows how lopsided our justice system can be.
Right, he was accused of moving four sandbags from one place deemed secure to another. He didn't drive a tractor into the levee to hollow it out ??
Yeah, a lifetime is unimaginable to me. Rapist Brock Turner (aka Rapist Allen Turner) got 6 months.
I am wondering if this was done so the insurance fraud claim doesn't come out !! I am not one to assume but the way the judge spewed his reasoning was just a tad over the top and disconnected!!! So why did he do that ? out of anger ? out of his neighbor farm friend losing everything? I do think it goes deeper !!!
??? I disagree. If he is guilty he needs to be locked up for life
@@joeb134 why ?
I feel the worst for his mother. But James is getting a raw deal. The evidence is right in front of everyone.
This is one of the craziest convictions of an innocent man that I've ever seen. LIFE in prison for an engineering failure he did not cause... Insanity. That ending completely broke my heart. What a fucking shame we are as a civilization.
People that commit sex crimes hardly ever get 10-20 years in prison, let alone life. These judges seem to give lighter sentences to these sexual predators because they empathize with those monsters more than ppl that might have committed a non violent crime. You have to think, “Do they see themselves in these predators?”
Uff agree with all, and is also the same people that complain that prisons are over populated and ask for dea** penalty. Horrible
America prioritize financial crimes over peoples lives. They probably would’ve given him last time if someone ended up dying. But because a lot of money was lost because of the loss of the summer crop and all the farmer land, he got punished harsher
Yes, most definitely YES they see themselves in the predators that they convict. I actually shudder to think what the hell goes on behind closed doors in those judges/attorneys homes. It's probably so da*% depraved we couldn't even imagine.
It’s exactly what you can imagine.
Man, if you search in the right places you will find that A LOT of these judges like children
This man needs to be freed. Sadly, there are too many cases like this. Our justice system is flawed and needs to be reassessed.
Beyond ridiculous! Even if he did do it after all this time he should be free! This is outrageous, maddening and heartbreaking.
Unjust doesn’t even cut it, absolutely crazy! Free the man and compensate him and prosecute the people who profited off of this case and his incarceration.
The saddest part is he won't be compensated even if he is ever released regardless of whether he's released by the parole board or by Governor's pardon. For him to be compensated, they'd have to go through litigation to prove his innocence that can only be initiated through the discovery of new evidence that wasn't available during the original trial which is why the innocence project can't help him, usually the "new" evidence is in the form of DNA which wouldn't help here. As sad as that is, it's true. Our justice system is so broken that it almost needs to be scrapped and rebuilt from the ground up at this point.
@@bradburke8232 Crazy stuff. As a non American your justice system definitely seems very broken and it scares me to be frank. So many insane cases I’ve heard, read or watched stuff about. Look up the molly martens case going on right now, if they are freed it will be sickening.
@@danielvickers1095 how do u know he isn’t guilty? He burned down a school building! I’ve known ppl who loved destruction. Knew a guy burned down buildings for his family . They would pay his relative to tell him to burn down a specific building he loved it. He’s lucky no one was burned alive. Some kid could have been playing hide and seek. Luckily no one drowned. This video pushes and assumes he’s innocent. Seems odd that on the 3rd day he’s at the exact spot to break and has been telling ppl he would break it. Weak levee u could dig a small trench or push one out and the water would do the rest. We just don’t know that he is innocent and can’t assume he is.
@@jefferyboring4410 did you watch the same show as we did. They explained why he is innocent several times.
@@jefferyboring4410 there’s absolutely zero scientific evidence to suggest he did it and not one witness. Either way not one person was even injured and he’s spent more time in prison than most murderers do, a lot of people have also profited off his incarceration, which is disgusting.
I lived in Perry County, Missouri for years and was a dispatcher for the Sheriff's Dept in 1993 when our levee broke. My big question here is 'How in the hell do you sabotage a levee? They're 50 feet thick at the base minimum and some have county roads on top of them. Except for the one guy's statement, which isn't really evidence, what the hell was their case?
Sorry for my bad English……hope you understand me….. You know I’ve you go in to the sea? When there are no big waves you can take a dip and swim……but I’ve 1 big wave hits you, it smacks you back on the beach and you have sand EVERYWHERE! You while find sand in your ears (and other places)for the next couple of days…. So imagine breaking a levee! How would Jim looked like…….
@@jill7717 very Good point / thought.! Haha, 1st comment I have witnessed mention this.
Yeah great point
With a bulldozer or dynamite.
@@IamCartaphilus dynamite leaves big marks behind! And a how do you think a bulldozer would look like??? Not clean…..
This is just one glaring example of how broken the American insurance and justice system is. In no way should this be possible or benefit anyone financially. I’m heartbroken for a James.
"The Criminal Justice System has it's flaws" - I think that's what I would call an "Understatement"!
I live in the area that was affected by the breach in the levee and it was a tragic event. I have serious doubts that James Scott created that breach. I am in support of his release with all of his time served, which is highly possibly unjust. He is indeed a man of past crimes, however, past crimes are not admissible as proof of a current crime and a reason so it that past history tends to unfairly influence a jury. If it were allowed, criminals with a history of 50 or more arrests would never be let back on the streets.
Contact the local authorities or prison or reach out to the supreme Court to request his release. We all have to.
I mean, if this documentary didn't convince you to remove ALL doubt of his conviction then I have to ask, what was your/your family's stake in the loss? This man is clearly innocent and he is obviously the fall-guy for fraudulent insurance claims. Dirty ass money in that county, you all should be ashamed.
We’re at the point that everyone agrees that whether he did it or not, he doesn’t deserve to be in that jail a day longer.
Then people in that area should come together and free this man
@@lateral1385 exactly 28 years too much.. for a non violent crime
There were two trials, and the prosecution’s story changed two times. At the first trial, they said that he took a shovel and dug into it, which caused it to fail. The jury convicted him because the region was still picking up the pieces from the flood at the time, and tempers were still hot. The judge would not accept the scientists’ testimonies because he said that they were not on the scene so they could not testify to the strength of the levee. He was awarded a second trial five years later, because the prosecutor violated the law and broke court procedure. James’ court appointed defense attorney filed for a new trial, and was granted one. The second trial was moved to Hannibal, Missouri, which was also under flood threats at the time of trial, and he was convicted again, only this time they had 16-year-old Joe Flachs’ testimony that James said he was going to break the levee in Missouri so he could party in Illinois without his stranded wife and then go fishing. That came out of nowhere. Also, the prosecutor said he confessed because two detectives from the Quincy Police Department, one of which has since been fired and neither of whom had juris diction in the first place, testified that James confessed to moving four sandbags from an area he thought was safe to an area where he thought he saw a leak. The prosecutor said that was an admission of guilt. Reading through some of these comments, I’m glad to see the rest of the country is now realizing how absurd this case has been for 30 years. It’s still a nightmare for one man.
Thorough explanation. Thank you.
14 likes and VICE decides to pin you 😂 man VICE you sure are for the people
He got what he deserved, bozo
@@Skateandcreate9 likes mean nothing, shows your priorities
This case is total bullsh:+, the entire judicial system has failed in this case
This is disgusting to see!! That town and def that judge needs a wake up call!!!
I was speechless by the end of that 😮
I grew up in St Louis, and was about twenty at the time. Every creek and small river in the area was completely blown out. Getting anywhere was difficult. It’s inconceivable that one man moving some sandbags could be to blame for the damage that was done. No one was surprised when that levee broke.
I am in St Louis, I am leaving.
@@HowToSurviveLife. Well, okay.
@HowToSurviveLife. Smart man. I stopped there on the way to Woodstock 99, worse city I have ever been in.
@@coreymacgregor176 I am female lol but thanks
@@HowToSurviveLife. lol, my apologies
Omg. Jim's mother. I came to the comments to express my sympathy for Jim's mother. It was so heart-wrenching to watch her talk about seeing her son again. Even if he did it on purpose, a life sentence is overkill considering the fact that nobody was harmed. They valued this man's life as being a fair trade for the monetary costs of a natural disaster. This story is so tragic.
I get what you're trying to say but it's not a "natural" disaster if some outside force causes a result that wouldn't occur naturally. Also, life sentence being overkill because no one got hurt is silly logic. A gunman shoots up a school but no one dies so he shouldn't get life? IF these actions were deliberate, they could have caused serious harm or death. Just because they didn't, it doesn't change that. The evidence against him is weak af and he shouldn't be there but the rest of your argument is kinda wild.
@Dean glovier BP spill was an accident caused by negligence. I live in Louisiana and always have, this is why the issue of flooding entire cities is so personal to me. BP paid billions in fines. Not that the money undid any damage, but they did not get off scott free. The part of her comment I was responding to was, "even if he did it on purpose, a life sentence is overkill". If he did it on purpose, it should be treated as attempted murder multiplied by however many people lived in that city.....which would result in a life sentence.
@Dean glovier Again, I don't even believe the guy had anything to do with it, so I think he should be free. However, IF someone intentionally broke a levee, apart from the potential loss of life, you have to factor in the irreparable damage done to so many people's lives. How many people didn't have flood insurance and lost their homes? How many of those people incurred damages that impacted their lives in a manner that could not be reconciled? How many of those people ended their own lives as a result or developed addictions to cope that indirectly ended their lives? Unless you've seen your entire world get buried under water, you can't understand the impacts it has....regardless of whether or not it killed you.
He probably is living longer in prison than he ever would have outside. He was a burglar and probably would have died young from meth or getting his head blown off by farmer that was getting robbed, His mom should be ashamed of raising him.
@A-Town Original dude my whole point is that the evidence against him is weak and he shouldn't be in jail for this in the first place?!? We're the GEOLOGISTS who said, yep, these levees were bound to break not enough? The fact that he is innocent makes the scene with his mother extra tragic.
i feel so bad for all those who have ever been falsely imprisoned.
Corruption just seems to always be around America not just in governments disgusting
It sickens me to hear about innocent people being punished for crimes they didn't commit. Nothing can compensate for the unjust suffering this man has gone through.
It really broke my heart when it said his mother had passed away honestly. The one person he had left in this life to look to and go to when he is down and out, the one person left he could go to once he gets out, and the one person he should’ve been able to have spent more time with in the world, was taken away from him over something that could never be proven in the first place, and why, cause he did an interview on the television and some drunk guy who bounces bar to bar pool hall to pool hall claims he said he’d do it? None of this makes sense in this case, and especially that he was given a life sentence. This is one of the saddest stories I’ve seen, and I watch true crime and stories of murders all day.
We had a firefighter who started wildfires in Arizona because he wanted to work. People died fighting them. He's in prison today..
he was a scapegoat so the community wouldn't turn on their failed leaders who got federal funds to fix that levee and didn't do it
As a Missouri resident, I am appalled. This appears to be a huge miscarriage of justice and my heart breaks for Jim and his family. I had never heard of this case before this video. Shameful.
Let me produce the “news documentary” you’ll be absolutely sure he is guilty. Do u suppose vice tried to portray him as innocent? Cuz even with their efforts watching the same show I’m very confident he is guilty. It was obvious to me vice was wanting to portray a guilty man as innocent. “This appears “ is your best statement.
@@jefferyboring4410 why are you sure he's guilty?
@@jefferyboring4410 oh yeah? How do you figure? Give us a little taste of some hard evidence that will make us say 'yep, no question. He did it.' It seems, in my opinion, they weren't 'set on proving his innocence' but the angle all other coverage of the case took was that he was guilty. Again this is purely me speculating here, but it seems they were purely trying to examine it all from a lense that isn't facing the same way it's always faced. Like the saying goes, 'there's at least two sides to every story, and the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.'
Agree that this sounds like an outrageous abuse of authority. This guy should be pardoned. I think it's the only option.
He obviously did it for sexual arousal.
That land owner really seems to have a guilty conscience. This is a horrific story! Absolutely railroaded this poor guy. As someone who has been in some trouble, in my younger years, the last thing in the world I would do, is commit a serious crime and immediately do an interview with the local news.
And how can you look that clean, focused and dry at that time?
Criminal love to hangout & interact with their destruction . It is also reverse psychology.
@@beastraban9282 yes that is possible, but how about his looks? This is not a case of somebody setting something on fire and “just” throwing a match…..I think he would have looked very “different” when breaking a levee 😇
@Ted Livingston what is it about ?
@Ted Livingston nope what is it about? Edit; googled it…..and yes, that guy is such a creep!
This has to be the biggest, worst failure of the justice system I have ever seen in my life.
Wow. Just breaks my heart.
The law about closed cases can not be re-opened if there is reasonable doubt has to be changed. All it does is protecting judges from having to admit they jailed an innocent person, while keeping him in jail for a crime he didn't commit. I would even go as far as adding a new law that makes judges responsible for the damage they cause by sentencing someone innocent. The minimum wage he would have earned during 27 years would be a good place to start.
I'm with you except for the last part. People will always look out for their own best interests. That kind of punishment could discourage judges from making sentences at all. Even when it's obviously the right call.
Judges don't decide if your innocent or guilty
@@old-school7567 they do in alot of cases actually
@@SoulDevoured not really at all the jury decides if you're guilty or not guilty in the USA which is where this takes place.
@@old-school7567 That's partly true. Usually that's something done during a phone call between defence and prosecution ahead of the court day. A judge only gets to make its judgement in the frame between the two demands. If both sides agree, he has not much to say. But that didn't happen in this case. Obviously, James pleaded not guilty instead of taking a deal. So it was up to the Judge to decide.
Having been the scapegoat for many things during my childhood, it brings tears to my eyes thinking of how James must have felt when the verdict came. It is a vile system where money of all things is the reason for lying and abusing the legal system, and the worst part is that I'm not even surprised it happened. I am convinced the only reason he got put in jail is because some people wanted to get money for their insurance. Wrong place at the wrong time, trying to help everyone out but getting their life taken away from them for it. This is not justice.
hopefully some type of humanity can come from this... i truly wonder what happened.... like again HOW did it break tho? like what did he DO that made it break... thats the answer i want
This man had his whole life stolen. There is no amount of recompense that the state could give this man that could make up for it. Someone needs to get this to The Innocence Project, pronto.
I was in the county jail with him right after he was arrested. Used to play cards with him every day. Everybody knew he didn't do it.
I almost teared up when I read that she passed. The people involved with his sentence need to be picked up for life and let him free.
Aw man she's gone huh bogus 😕
Funny how people's entire opinion can be changed with a one sided 25 minute documentary.
@@destroya3303 shows how gullible ppl are. Look em straight in the eye shake your head and promise and they’ll believe u. Especially is it’s on a “news documentary”
@@destroya3303 what?
@@destroya3303 Yeah so crazy how people tend to form opinions about things that happened when presented with 25 minutes of information about said thing that happened.
The level of stupidity in American courts is mind boggling !
As is the amount of injustice in American prisons !
Not stupidity, it's corruption, they know exactly what they are doing.
need to start making these cops and judges pay for their corruption. plain and simple.
Im from Missouri and i remember in 93 the floods were so bad everywhere here so to think a man has been sitting locked up since then being blamed for the flood water that happened all over Missouri is just horrible to think about the truth is supposed to set you free so come on already damn people
i feel so much for his mother, she passed away longing to see his son free, how heartbreaking...His whole life stolen...so unfair