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.
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.
@@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
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
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 agree, it’s why investigator journalism needs to be protected too. This story highlights millions of dollars in potential insurance abuse at the sake of 1 “suspect” based on behavior as a kid. This should be a PSA for young adults if that’s how simple our judicial system has become in blame or cover-up’s of what was probably city/county/states dysfunction in maintenance & coordination with State/Gov. officials. I bet if you go back & look at inspections-there’s “tells”.
Pre internet...makes you wonder all we don't know? Sometimes I feel we know too much which causes what we have today.. Mass conspiracy Panic And straigh lies... Work it out people!
VICE became unhinged and extremely far left and humiliated themselves and destroyed their credibility. Then they pretended it never happened and everyone eats it up SMH
life in prison for a flood on failing infrastructure with nothing but circumstantial evidence, and then on top of it there was financial gain for the ‘witnesses’ is insane. Thats like something out of north korea…
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!
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.
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.
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
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...
I decided to look up the method he allegedly used to break the levee and it said he removed sandbags and then physically burrowed through the remaining sand to cause the breach, which would have obviously made him totally filthy. So, his clean appearance was supposed to serve as added proof that he couldn't have been working on the levee (by moving bags to a different spot) as he'd claimed in his story, but yet he was accused of doing something that would have made him even dirtier and suddenly his clean appearance doesn't mean anything? He was wearing white clothes, so how the hell did he burrow through sand without getting any on him? How do you go from "he's too clean to have been moving any of the bags" to "he's not dirty at all and couldn't have been doing anything with sand, but he definitely dug a big hole in a man-made sandbank" without hearing how stupid that sounds? That's just crazy. Could he be guilty? Sure, but could he be innocent? Absolutely, and it's likely that no one but himself will ever know the correct answer.
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.
but she knows there is someone fighting for her son and even just the fact that this story and documentary exist, she knows he’s going to be free someday. it’s still heartbreaking, but because of this story, she and her fight, and James’ fight, live on.
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.
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..
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! 💗
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!!❤
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.
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.
The journalist in this video wrote a book about the case. They didn't really cover it in the video but when James Scott was arrested for burglary the cops questioned him about the flood and he apparently admitted to moving four sandbags from one part of a levee to another part that he thought was in danger of failing. And there was more than just that one guy on house arrest saying that James Scott was bragging about causing the flood. Whether it's true or not that he bragged about it I do not know, but it was more than just one person saying that he had. But all that being said I do think he is innocent of causing the levee to break and he was made a scapegoat, unfortunately James Scott made it extremely easy for them to scapegoat him.
@@gnot_paul Thanks for sharing this. It's easy to picture him in some bar or pool hall afterward saying that he did it on purpose just as some dumb banter, looking for an easy laugh and not thinking twice. I know enough people that say stupid things like this never thinking it could come back to them. Put that with his admission of moving sandbags as an overt act, and you have both means and intent for the jury. Sure he could have been trying to fix a weak spot. Or just clowning around. Or having a beer there during all this excitement cause whatever. Not too bright but I've known enough people that would find that fun. But regardless of what he actually did, he admits on record to moving bags. Looking at it decades later with a cool head, it's easy to say that the story is a stretch and that the levee would have failed regardless. But I'm sure emotions on the jury were high right after the disaster, everyone was affected in some way, and the police brought in the town burglar (and arsonist) who placed himself at the scene and having a laugh about it with his friends. Not justice, not right, but not a surprising outcome.
How tf does one man destroy a levee in the first place? Doesn't sound like it's that easy to do. It's not logical if you think about what levees are put in place to do. Seems like they would be built to withstand a whole lot more stress or damage than one man could inflict without some serious heavy equipment. A shovel isn't going to cut it.
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.
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.
When the reporter interviews him on the levy, he's in a spotless white shirt. No way someone who just dug a channel into a levy big enough to cause a failure is going to be spotless like that.
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.
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.
This is how it goes: If they touch on general documentary topics - people love it If they touch on republicunt nonsense and exposes filth - people hate it
00:27 is that Jodi Huisentruit? She’s the reporter who disappeared from her home parking lot. Still unsolved. Perhaps just a strange overlap. Erie though.
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.
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.
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!!😢
I live in Kansas City Missouri. My dad just told me about this guy a couple days ago when I brought up the flood. Then two days later this shows up on my RUclips feed. A life sentence for allegedly causing a flood. How did he summons the clouds that summer to make it rain so much?
Your thought process to get to the conclusion he is innocent, is retarted at best! He was convicted for damaging the levee! Not causing the rain! Please do not have children!
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.
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 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.
@@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.
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.
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.
@@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
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!
@@ufosdecoded 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.
@@ufosdecoded 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?
@@davidmwayi 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..
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.
My father was one of the senior non commissioned officers on the ground there in both 93 and 95. He received a humanitarian service award for evacuating the elderly and their possessions when he was supposed to be sleeping. I remember him talking about this and they always suspected the farmers sabotaged it if it wasn’t just a natural break. Another theory he talked about was that down stream farmers sabotaged it to protect their farms. No one ever suspected this guy actually did it.
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.
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.
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.
I was 13 when this happened and remember watching this unfold on the news. It was suspicious then and it still stinks now. This has several overlapping stories. What ever happened with that reporter? She went missing and never found. What will people do for the almighty dollar😳
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?”
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.
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.
@@RevivedPromotions 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 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 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.
This is heroic journalism. I will absolutely donate to this cause, and I’ll share both links on my Facebook feed. I think this story will soon gather momentum. GREAT JOB❤
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.
@@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 😇
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.
"I can take away your liberty" is a terrifying thing to hear, especially when you didn't commit the crime. He gets life in prison while rapists walk free after 6-12 months probation.
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.
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.
I was 14 at the time and living in western MO at the time. I remember the Quincy levee break being on the news. I had absolutely no idea about the story behind it because his conviction wasn’t as widely publicized (obviously).
@@erroneous6947 so did it seem like they had actual evidence that he did it tho? this makes it seem like they framed him but could easily have left out all the answers they didn't want to make him look guilty.
I commend this man on his complete and total commitment to party, regardless of risks to people and / or property. He couldn't be swayed. He wouldn't be detoured. He stayed focused to his ultimate plan to party. It's this very brand of discipline that breeds American excellence and pride. In 1987, the Beasties spoke to this noble Missouri hero, and he heard them loud and clear, a fight he did.
@@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 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.
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.
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.
Great piece. Learned so much about this case. I flew over the great flood during this time on a trip to CO; it was stunning and tragic. Thanks for producing this.
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.
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
Thank you for bringing us this story. This was a horrible injustice to imprison Jim Scott. I hope that the GoFundMe brings in more than enough to get something done for him. Please keep us posted here as well about his case and any like it.
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…….
@@waynehand4600 might not condone your actions or choices made, but will support you through it. that’s what moms are for. or at least that’s what my mom would do, might not agree with or make excuses for what i’ve done wrong, but will have my back and then some.
"As the barge came through the break in the Levee it knocked over the fuel stations" - Charles Scholz (mayor). How is this one guy in prison for the Levee break? Was one person charged for the Levee break in NO during Katrina?
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.
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.
Scott was 24 in 1993 when he joined a sandbag crew near Hannibal to help control the rising floodwaters. On July 16, as he was loading bags onto a massive levee, he discovered a breach. He threw a few more bags around the trouble spot and tried to summon help from a National Guardsman. Finally, he decided there was nothing he could do and walked away.
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 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.'
This is one of the craziest and saddest things I have seen in a while. I truly hope this man gets out … a LIFE SENTENCE with no concrete proof is absolutely ludicrous. I hope the innocence project can help free him. I’m just blown by the life sentence on circumstantial evidence ONLY.
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.
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
These people should be ashamed of themselves for that judge to label him like that is ridiculous. This kid better be freed. That is absolutely criminal what they’ve done to him. He was there helping set up the bags unbelievable what a bunch of hillbillies.
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.
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 love VICE for shining a light on this case. I have never heard of this case. I'm from New Orleans and I know far too well how the levees work ( and don't) and the importance of flood insurance. Horrible injustice.
These exoneration docs always only tell half the story. They don't go into details of the court case. They don't interview the proseuctors. Turns out he literally confessed to it to Neil Baker, so that is how he got convicted. ruclips.net/video/B2Cq_J45RQo/видео.html
That is the entirety of human existence my friend. Money truly is the root of all evil. Everywhere you look in life, it's easy to see one man benefiting from the fact that somebody else is not.
What about the levies that were intentionally dynamited less than 100 miles down river? No one is in prison for that. I spent weeks sand bagging and then taking food and supplies to people after every effort we made failed on the Missouri side in St. Charles County. It was heartbreaking but it was also, as it turned out, futile. Piling sand on top of saturated sand levies didn't work. I was never aware of this case. I get that it is human nature to want someone to blame when things go terribly wrong, but even if this man did what they say....life in prison?
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?
@@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
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!!!😡
I know this is a dumb question…but what can we do to help? Write letters? Contact attorneys who help those who suffer a miscarriage of justice, such as this? Seriously. I’m not a lawyer. I’m not even in the Midwest….but I remember 1993, and I was a punk teenager back then - not one with a criminal record - but certainly no angel….all this to say…this man deserves a chance to be alive, and free. It’s heartbreaking to know his mother has passed. We can’t change the past, big how do we help him have a future?
Its actually terrifying that someone can get put away for that longer for a crime like that, especially as he most likey had no involvement and is completely innocent but even if he did admit to it how can some be sentenced for that long for a crime like that!
Thank you for putting this info out there for people. As awful as it is, I truly believe that James Scott is helping pave the way for a more compassionate and critical thinking America, through his sacrifice of serving this time unjustly. Once we understand the terrible mistake we have made, we will start to make the necessary changes to this broken judicial and prison system
LOL VICE used to be solid all the time.... Then they went to s*** but they seem to be getting back to their roots and unbiased agenda and doing more content like this hopefully they stick to it.
I was born and raised in Quincy IL. I was 10 years old when this happened. I remeber all these events as they took palce. As I became an adult I realized just how corrupt the Quincy Police Department was. I refused to raise my children there especially since they had family on both sides that had run ins with the law. I was NEVER going to give QPD the opportunity to railroad my children based off their family history. Such an injustice here for this man. I pray he gets freed someday🙏🏼
I really hope this guy gets justice. No money in the world would ever bring back the missing years and being with your family back. Mad respect for the guy voicing for him and his mom.
Thank you for your comment. It is a sad situation and there were very few people who were actually aware of this absurd case. Now, there are those like @SweaquityGaming that would have you believe that James Scott moving four sandbags from one area to another caused the entire flood, even though more than 100,000 people and a fleet of bulldozers went up and down the levee for a month. Even then, guys like @SweaquityGaming will tell you that the four sandbags James Scott moved were the only four sandbags holding back the Mississippi River. But I’m glad you and most of the 4,000+ people who commented can see through such a flimsy argument.
Rest in peace Sharon 🙏 her unfailing support for James during these unfair times is the best gift she could give him, I hope James’ future looks up from here!
This is so frustrating. I truly appreciate your coverage of this case. Sadly, it shows all the flaws in American justice, the corruption, the rules of money. I'm not even from USA, I'm from Croatia, Europe, so this shouldn't bother me. But injustice should bother everyone, especially when human life is in stake, a human, a person that was locked up for life is such questionable and shady way. Thank you for fighting for "a little man". As an ex journalist, I know how it feels when you get involved in something that sticks with you forever. It's painful to witness such a failure of justice.
Let’s say playing devils advocate that he did do it, what that prosecutor said was spot on. He’s spending the rest of his life in prison and no one was hurt or killed. And there are murderers who have gotten time as low as 6 years. Makes no sense.
I don't understand why he got a life sentence. That's insane! It's really sad his mom passed away before he got released. She had so much hope she would see him as a free man.
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 !!!
How does someone cause a levee to fail and come out basically bone dry? there is video evidence of him after the levee failed and it looks like he barely touch the water and i feel that a levee breaking would soak the person who caused it .
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.
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.
I'm here in missouri right on the river. What can I do to help. We need to let this man have the rest of his life back. I talked to my grandmother, whose house was 3 ft higher than the water in 93 i was only one at the time. It rained for 30 days. James didn't make that happen, and for 2 separate experts to say this is where the levies would break, it is insane to blame James for this.
Sharon's _genuine_ love for James is profound. It's so genuine. My heart hurts for her, knowing she passed away before James was released. If Clark Fredericks' mom can have faith her son would have been released in 5 years, I know Sharon has that same faith. It's such a disgusting shame that our American justice system has failed so many of its citizens, convicting them on less-than-stellar evidence. I hope The Innocence Project or other innocence groups can help with James' sentence. He deserves to be free. His family deserves to be whole again. James deserves to have reparations.
I feel so sad for James Scott. He doesn't deserve to rot in jail based on circumstantial evidence. I just hope he gets out soon and people realise what a huge mistake her occurred. He deserves freedom.
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
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.
This, is journalism. Thank you for showing people that this noble profession was once an honorable endeavor.
✌️❤️🖖
I agree, it’s why investigator journalism needs to be protected too. This story highlights millions of dollars in potential insurance abuse at the sake of 1 “suspect” based on behavior as a kid. This should be a PSA for young adults if that’s how simple our judicial system has become in blame or cover-up’s of what was probably city/county/states dysfunction in maintenance & coordination with State/Gov. officials. I bet if you go back & look at inspections-there’s “tells”.
This type if Journalist is why my blood BOILS
When Dump refers to them as Enemy of the People
Pure propaganda & projection
Pre internet...makes you wonder all we don't know?
Sometimes I feel we know too much which causes what we have today..
Mass conspiracy
Panic
And straigh lies...
Work it out people!
VICE became unhinged and extremely far left and humiliated themselves and destroyed their credibility.
Then they pretended it never happened and everyone eats it up SMH
That was the mid 1990!! By 2000 that fact founding unbiased journalism was dead now it is cremated.
life in prison for a flood on failing infrastructure with nothing but circumstantial evidence, and then on top of it there was financial gain for the ‘witnesses’ is insane. Thats like something out of north korea…
Nope. North korea, with all its immense flaws, has everything covered by the state. This is something out of capitalism.
And yet America goes across the world telling us they have the best of everything. Delusional.
Small town USA for you all of them know each other and work together some times for bad things
No, you probably wouldn’t see this in North Korea. This is what happens when capitalism goes unchecked. They corrupt everyone for financial gain.
Nope not North Korea but good ole U.S.A we just have no idea how crooked our government is 😅
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
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...
I decided to look up the method he allegedly used to break the levee and it said he removed sandbags and then physically burrowed through the remaining sand to cause the breach, which would have obviously made him totally filthy. So, his clean appearance was supposed to serve as added proof that he couldn't have been working on the levee (by moving bags to a different spot) as he'd claimed in his story, but yet he was accused of doing something that would have made him even dirtier and suddenly his clean appearance doesn't mean anything? He was wearing white clothes, so how the hell did he burrow through sand without getting any on him? How do you go from "he's too clean to have been moving any of the bags" to "he's not dirty at all and couldn't have been doing anything with sand, but he definitely dug a big hole in a man-made sandbank" without hearing how stupid that sounds? That's just crazy. Could he be guilty? Sure, but could he be innocent? Absolutely, and it's likely that no one but himself will ever know the correct answer.
Also, if he burrowed through the sandbank, it is almost certain that he gets swept away and possibly killed from the water
@@FitzyyLivesthat’s what I was thinking, that water would’ve been raging through the breech/break !!!
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.
but she knows there is someone fighting for her son and even just the fact that this story and documentary exist, she knows he’s going to be free someday. it’s still heartbreaking, but because of this story, she and her fight, and James’ fight, live on.
An incredible injustice. I hope their money was worth throwing away this man’s life.
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! 💗
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?
His first conviction was thrown out for prosecutor misconduct, and he was tried and convicted AGAIN. Crazy story.
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.
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.
And a million$ for every year in prison.
The journalist in this video wrote a book about the case. They didn't really cover it in the video but when James Scott was arrested for burglary the cops questioned him about the flood and he apparently admitted to moving four sandbags from one part of a levee to another part that he thought was in danger of failing. And there was more than just that one guy on house arrest saying that James Scott was bragging about causing the flood. Whether it's true or not that he bragged about it I do not know, but it was more than just one person saying that he had. But all that being said I do think he is innocent of causing the levee to break and he was made a scapegoat, unfortunately James Scott made it extremely easy for them to scapegoat him.
@@gnot_paul Thanks for sharing this. It's easy to picture him in some bar or pool hall afterward saying that he did it on purpose just as some dumb banter, looking for an easy laugh and not thinking twice. I know enough people that say stupid things like this never thinking it could come back to them. Put that with his admission of moving sandbags as an overt act, and you have both means and intent for the jury. Sure he could have been trying to fix a weak spot. Or just clowning around. Or having a beer there during all this excitement cause whatever. Not too bright but I've known enough people that would find that fun. But regardless of what he actually did, he admits on record to moving bags.
Looking at it decades later with a cool head, it's easy to say that the story is a stretch and that the levee would have failed regardless. But I'm sure emotions on the jury were high right after the disaster, everyone was affected in some way, and the police brought in the town burglar (and arsonist) who placed himself at the scene and having a laugh about it with his friends. Not justice, not right, but not a surprising outcome.
How tf does one man destroy a levee in the first place? Doesn't sound like it's that easy to do. It's not logical if you think about what levees are put in place to do. Seems like they would be built to withstand a whole lot more stress or damage than one man could inflict without some serious heavy equipment. A shovel isn't going to cut it.
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.
When the reporter interviews him on the levy, he's in a spotless white shirt. No way someone who just dug a channel into a levy big enough to cause a failure is going to be spotless like that.
It was most likely and undershirt
This is one of the saddest, terrifying, and infuriating stories ive heard in a while.
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.
@@jay_wrightthey get it wrong to. Recently got a guy out who killed couple weeks later. Swearing he's innocent about that one to
@@samhewlett8176
What is the person's name?
These documentaries are getting better and better in quality over time. Vice never seems to disappoint with all the information they have to offer.
This is how it goes: If they touch on general documentary topics - people love it
If they touch on republicunt nonsense and exposes filth - people hate it
Un carajo
Netflix reminded them about what Vice is all about
You've never been disappointed with Vice? ..Like ever?
@@marinablack181they have tightened up a lot recently tbh
00:27 is that Jodi Huisentruit? She’s the reporter who disappeared from her home parking lot. Still unsolved. Perhaps just a strange overlap. Erie though.
So sad
Dude, I was watching that on missing !! It looks like her
It was prolly a bunch of stupid kids
I don’t think so. She had a very strong Minnesota accident.
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
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
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 live in Kansas City Missouri. My dad just told me about this guy a couple days ago when I brought up the flood. Then two days later this shows up on my RUclips feed. A life sentence for allegedly causing a flood. How did he summons the clouds that summer to make it rain so much?
He did the Native American rain dance
Your thought process to get to the conclusion he is innocent, is retarted at best! He was convicted for damaging the levee! Not causing the rain!
Please do not have children!
Your phone is listening to you.
Me and my friends, when we having to have a private conversation we actually go in a room with no devices.
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 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.
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.
WTH, this is a crazy story, even crazier that an attorney hasn’t been able to get this guy out after all these years!
Is anyone actually helping this man get out?
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
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!
@@ufosdecoded 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.
@@ufosdecoded 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?
@@davidmwayi 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..
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.
My father was one of the senior non commissioned officers on the ground there in both 93 and 95. He received a humanitarian service award for evacuating the elderly and their possessions when he was supposed to be sleeping. I remember him talking about this and they always suspected the farmers sabotaged it if it wasn’t just a natural break. Another theory he talked about was that down stream farmers sabotaged it to protect their farms. No one ever suspected this guy actually did it.
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 is insane never heard about this case i was born in 1991, damn free the man already sounds like there is actually no evidence at all
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
This is so sad. Rest In Peace to his mother. That was heart-breaking. Wishing you freedom, Jim Scott.
Your acting like this guy was a saint… he wasnt
I was 13 when this happened and remember watching this unfold on the news. It was suspicious then and it still stinks now. This has several overlapping stories. What ever happened with that reporter? She went missing and never found. What will people do for the almighty dollar😳
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
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.
@@RevivedPromotions 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 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
Wow!!!!😮😮😮
Real for really real journalism!!!😮😮
A lost and dying art!!😢
Thank you so much 😊😊😊😊
This is heroic journalism. I will absolutely donate to this cause, and I’ll share both links on my Facebook feed. I think this story will soon gather momentum.
GREAT JOB❤
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!
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.
"I can take away your liberty" is a terrifying thing to hear, especially when you didn't commit the crime. He gets life in prison while rapists walk free after 6-12 months probation.
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
I was 14 at the time and living in western MO at the time. I remember the Quincy levee break being on the news. I had absolutely no idea about the story behind it because his conviction wasn’t as widely publicized (obviously).
I remember it being on the news quite a bit. I’m older than you though. Maybe we were watching different stuff.
@@erroneous6947 so did it seem like they had actual evidence that he did it tho? this makes it seem like they framed him but could easily have left out all the answers they didn't want to make him look guilty.
This is absolutely ridiculous. That man needs to go home. Never should have gone to prison in the first place.
I commend this man on his complete and total commitment to party, regardless of risks to people and / or property. He couldn't be swayed. He wouldn't be detoured. He stayed focused to his ultimate plan to party. It's this very brand of discipline that breeds American excellence and pride. In 1987, the Beasties spoke to this noble Missouri hero, and he heard them loud and clear, a fight he did.
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.
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.
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.
Great piece. Learned so much about this case. I flew over the great flood during this time on a trip to CO; it was stunning and tragic. Thanks for producing this.
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.
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
Thank you for bringing us this story. This was a horrible injustice to imprison Jim Scott. I hope that the GoFundMe brings in more than enough to get something done for him. Please keep us posted here as well about his case and any like it.
I am from Hannibal, MO right across the river from Quincy, IL. This is such a sad story.
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
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…..
God Bless his mom. She’s the epitome of a loving mother. Rocksteady for her boy.
Moms loves me,too. She wouldn’t condone doing what homie did,though
@@waynehand4600 might not condone your actions or choices made, but will support you through it. that’s what moms are for. or at least that’s what my mom would do, might not agree with or make excuses for what i’ve done wrong, but will have my back and then some.
sad that he no longer has her
Not one for grammar though
@House Of Gord
Right.
The ones fictitiously created aren't real.
All others are real though.
"As the barge came through the break in the Levee it knocked over the fuel stations" - Charles Scholz (mayor). How is this one guy in prison for the Levee break? Was one person charged for the Levee break in NO during Katrina?
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.
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.
Incredible journalism, heartbreaking story of corruption and greed. I hope with all my heart James will one day get the freedom he deserves.
Scott was 24 in 1993 when he joined a sandbag crew near Hannibal to help control the rising floodwaters.
On July 16, as he was loading bags onto a massive levee, he discovered a breach. He threw a few more bags around the trouble spot and tried to summon help from a National Guardsman. Finally, he decided there was nothing he could do and walked away.
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.
This is one of the craziest and saddest things I have seen in a while. I truly hope this man gets out … a LIFE SENTENCE with no concrete proof is absolutely ludicrous. I hope the innocence project can help free him. I’m just blown by the life sentence on circumstantial evidence ONLY.
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.
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
English?
These people should be ashamed of themselves for that judge to label him like that is ridiculous. This kid better be freed. That is absolutely criminal what they’ve done to him. He was there helping set up the bags unbelievable what a bunch of hillbillies.
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 love VICE for shining a light on this case. I have never heard of this case. I'm from New Orleans and I know far too well how the levees work ( and don't) and the importance of flood insurance. Horrible injustice.
or did vice just run with a fake story.....they never done that before...oh wait.
@@scottmcfarlane7524 Do you have any evidence? Would be interested in reading more
Same here. It's no laughing matter.
These exoneration docs always only tell half the story. They don't go into details of the court case. They don't interview the proseuctors. Turns out he literally confessed to it to Neil Baker, so that is how he got convicted. ruclips.net/video/B2Cq_J45RQo/видео.html
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.
That is the entirety of human existence my friend. Money truly is the root of all evil.
Everywhere you look in life, it's easy to see one man benefiting from the fact that somebody else is not.
What about the levies that were intentionally dynamited less than 100 miles down river? No one is in prison for that.
I spent weeks sand bagging and then taking food and supplies to people after every effort we made failed on the Missouri side in St. Charles County. It was heartbreaking but it was also, as it turned out, futile. Piling sand on top of saturated sand levies didn't work.
I was never aware of this case. I get that it is human nature to want someone to blame when things go terribly wrong, but even if this man did what they say....life in prison?
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
Just curious, can you give us the case? Why would he murder your friends mom?
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
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 .
I know this is a dumb question…but what can we do to help? Write letters? Contact attorneys who help those who suffer a miscarriage of justice, such as this?
Seriously. I’m not a lawyer. I’m not even in the Midwest….but I remember 1993, and I was a punk teenager back then - not one with a criminal record - but certainly no angel….all this to say…this man deserves a chance to be alive, and free. It’s heartbreaking to know his mother has passed. We can’t change the past, big how do we help him have a future?
Its actually terrifying that someone can get put away for that longer for a crime like that, especially as he most likey had no involvement and is completely innocent but even if he did admit to it how can some be sentenced for that long for a crime like that!
Thank you for putting this info out there for people. As awful as it is, I truly believe that James Scott is helping pave the way for a more compassionate and critical thinking America, through his sacrifice of serving this time unjustly. Once we understand the terrible mistake we have made, we will start to make the necessary changes to this broken judicial and prison system
This is why I love Vice!! They always report things that aren’t being talked about enough on mainstream media!!!!
Facts , the stories that ppl don't wanna talk about or wanna forget
Lucky for them the world has always been a corrupt place that wants to sweep that corruption under the rug. So there's plenty of material.
LOL VICE used to be solid all the time.... Then they went to s*** but they seem to be getting back to their roots and unbiased agenda and doing more content like this hopefully they stick to it.
I turned 18 that day!! I'm from east of Cleveland & I remember this!!
I was born and raised in Quincy IL. I was 10 years old when this happened. I remeber all these events as they took palce. As I became an adult I realized just how corrupt the Quincy Police Department was. I refused to raise my children there especially since they had family on both sides that had run ins with the law. I was NEVER going to give QPD the opportunity to railroad my children based off their family history. Such an injustice here for this man. I pray he gets freed someday🙏🏼
Believe me it's not just the Quincy Police Department
The trial was in Missouri, it wasn't in the jurisdiction of Quincy Illinois
@@timothykeith1367 at least the Police or a prosecutor from Quincy provided the court with some evidence
@@timothykeith1367 exactly, certain people just love to hate on the police!
I really hope this guy gets justice. No money in the world would ever bring back the missing years and being with your family back. Mad respect for the guy voicing for him and his mom.
Thank you for your comment. It is a sad situation and there were very few people who were actually aware of this absurd case. Now, there are those like @SweaquityGaming that would have you believe that James Scott moving four sandbags from one area to another caused the entire flood, even though more than 100,000 people and a fleet of bulldozers went up and down the levee for a month. Even then, guys like @SweaquityGaming will tell you that the four sandbags James Scott moved were the only four sandbags holding back the Mississippi River. But I’m glad you and most of the 4,000+ people who commented can see through such a flimsy argument.
How do you get justice for 27 years? You can't buy the years back. Justice is a silly notion.
I hate morons that say "mad respect".
Thanks for covering these stories. And trying to help this innocent man. My heart goes out to him.
Oh no… the update at the end crushed me. I hope he gets freed before his hearing this is bs
The injustice of this case is stomach turning. It's just disgusting that a case like this could continue for 27+ years.
Rest in peace Sharon 🙏 her unfailing support for James during these unfair times is the best gift she could give him, I hope James’ future looks up from here!
This is so frustrating. I truly appreciate your coverage of this case.
Sadly, it shows all the flaws in American justice, the corruption, the rules of money.
I'm not even from USA, I'm from Croatia, Europe, so this shouldn't bother me. But injustice should bother everyone, especially when human life is in stake, a human, a person that was locked up for life is such questionable and shady way.
Thank you for fighting for "a little man".
As an ex journalist, I know how it feels when you get involved in something that sticks with you forever. It's painful to witness such a failure of justice.
Let’s say playing devils advocate that he did do it, what that prosecutor said was spot on. He’s spending the rest of his life in prison and no one was hurt or killed. And there are murderers who have gotten time as low as 6 years. Makes no sense.
I don't understand why he got a life sentence. That's insane! It's really sad his mom passed away before he got released. She had so much hope she would see him as a free man.
Because he's a POS with a long criminal history.
They don't want to take the chance of paying the insurance money back.
@@twhis9843 You can drop the act...The insurance company cant take the money back.
@@twhis9843 you’re right bro I agree! Pos is where he belongs! Hopefully he rots there for the rest of his life!
Oh please! You liberals always see martyrs. He’s guilty plain and simple
This is the old VICE style of content we've been asking for and I love it .... Excellent documentary 👍👍👍
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 ?
How does someone cause a levee to fail and come out basically bone dry? there is video evidence of him after the levee failed and it looks like he barely touch the water and i feel that a levee breaking would soak the person who caused it .
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.
I'm here in missouri right on the river. What can I do to help. We need to let this man have the rest of his life back. I talked to my grandmother, whose house was 3 ft higher than the water in 93 i was only one at the time. It rained for 30 days. James didn't make that happen, and for 2 separate experts to say this is where the levies would break, it is insane to blame James for this.
I am from the area. Some of those farms are worth millions. I believe he is 100% innocent.
0:48 perfect time for that heavy riff of Led Zeppelins 'When the Levee Breaks' to start blasting.
Yesss....😂😅😊...a little LedZep goes a long way!🎉
🤣
Sharon's _genuine_ love for James is profound. It's so genuine. My heart hurts for her, knowing she passed away before James was released. If Clark Fredericks' mom can have faith her son would have been released in 5 years, I know Sharon has that same faith.
It's such a disgusting shame that our American justice system has failed so many of its citizens, convicting them on less-than-stellar evidence. I hope The Innocence Project or other innocence groups can help with James' sentence. He deserves to be free. His family deserves to be whole again. James deserves to have reparations.
I feel so sad for James Scott. He doesn't deserve to rot in jail based on circumstantial evidence. I just hope he gets out soon and people realise what a huge mistake her occurred. He deserves freedom.
It won’t happen because they will have to pay him millions
This is just sickening to see this man sit in prison over this for this long. Horrible; the state should be ashamed of itself!
Aroused?