Motorhome Diarists now free (sort of)

The itinerant journalists of the Motorhome Diaries, who were arrested yesterday in Jones County, Mississippi, are now free on bond, but still face local charges. According to one of the diarists, the arrest -- which started with a traffic stop -- ultimately involved pepper spray and the ransacking of the travelers' vehicle.

Jason Talley, Peter Eyre and Adam Mueller were passing through the state on their journey across the country when they were pulled over in Jones County, Mississippi. Talley had time to report Mueller's arrest for filming the police officers via Twitter and to post a photograph he took of the encounter to the Internet before he and Eyre were also taken into custody.

Released this morning, Talley reported, again via Twitter, that he was "pepper sprayed and choked for refusing to give ID." He also said the RV in which the men are traveling was ransacked by the police and that footage of the incident captured on a camcorder was deleted by authorities.

It's impossible to get the police version of events, since the Jones County jail is now referring calls to the sheriff's department, and the sheriff's department says the one man who can answer questions is unavailable and insists the jail should be fielding inquiries.

The Motorhome Diarists say they've now left Jones County after meeting bond. They still face a grab-bag of throw'-em-against-the-wall-to-see-if-they-stick-style misdemeanor charges, including disorderly conduct, disobeying an officer, resisting arrest and possessing beer in a dry county. Pete Eyre also faces a state charge for "possession of a firearm across state lines."

This case is interesting not just for the arrests, but for the speed and ease with which the diarists documented and publicized the incident using technology.

Update: In the comments, Pete Eyre clarifies that he faces no firearms charges, but was threatened with a federal charge and with federal intervention in the case by the ATF:

[F]irearm charge was never made. I was threatened with it at the scene of the stop and while at the jail but was never charged with that or any firearm charge. It was the stick they tried to use to get me to tell them more info. And it was the thing ("ATF hold") they claimed to deny us access to a phone for 7hrs.

And on a related note -- after searching our RV (both on the scene and at body shop in the early afternoon) my two firearms were left unlocked and accessible on the couch. This after making a big deal about having firearms. So the tow truck driver put them in his gun safe when he brought the RV to the impound lot.

Further Update: The Motorhome Diarists' version of events is now online, with amazing and disturbing details.