An online petition asks for fans' help in blocking the release of "sensitive dash cam footage" from Randy Travis' 2012 DWI arrest.
Travis' wife Mary Davis-Travis, manager Tony Conway and publicist Zach Farnum issued the petition on behalf of Travis. The case to permanently seal the footage remains in the federal court system. The petition seeks to keep the video sealed until the federal matter ends.
Travis' DWI arrest made headlines after police found him naked in the road about 60 miles north of Dallas. During the incident, Travis allegedly became verbally abusive toward the arresting officers. According to the petition, "The video, which contains confidential and sensitive footage, was taken after Mr. Travis suffered a serious concussion as well as various other physical injuries due to the car crash."
In a Facebook post, Travis' wife explained her take. "We were told by the Judge in Grayson County that the video would be destroyed after Randy completed all requirements handed down by the Judge," she wrote. "Randy completed all requirements in very timely fashion, only to be told by the Attorney General's office that the Judge didn't have the authority!"
In the petition, attorney Martin J. Cikiel presents the case as a rights issue for more than his client. "Now it has evolved into a case protecting the privacy rights of every American who happens to have a video taken of them when in the midst of a medical emergency or mental health breakdown and wants to make sure those private moments, remain just that- private," he wrote.
Cikiel further argues that Travis' 2013 stroke leaves him in no shape to fairly address the public scrutiny sometimes aimed at public figures. "We also argued that Randy's current medical condition and mental status precluded any public interest from a time years past, when he was healthy and working as a public figure," he wrote.
Travis served his punishment already for the actual crime, pleading guilty to the Aug. 7, 2012, arrest in January of 2013. He received 2 years' probation, a $2,000 fine, and a 180-day suspended jail sentence.
At press time, the petition remains almost 500 endorsements shy of its 2,500 signature goal.
