If you’re a runner, you know that running on the sidewalk is the worst. The surface is hard on your joints and provides very little room for more than one person.

Vera Pecaj definitely falls into this camp. A dash cam recorded the Brighton, Michigan, native being taken into custody for resisting and obstructing arrest after she refused to run on the sidewalk.

Pecaj, 40, was running her route in Green Oak Township when she was stopped by police officer Michael Jain who advised her to run on the sidewalk, according to a report from MLive. The dash cam audio captured Pecaj arguing with Jain and shouting profanities at him while he arrested her.

Jain claims that Pecaj repeatedly ignored him and refused to stop when he asked her to. Pecaj finally stopped when Jain said that she would be taken to jail if she didn't listen. According to the report, Pecaj then stopped, but refused to give her name and said that she had done nothing wrong. When she started to run away from Jain, he grabbed her arm and she yelled, "Don't f****** touch me!"

Jain then told her she was under arrest and proceeded to put her hands behind her back. According to an audio recording from the dash cam, Pecaj resisted and started shouting at Jain.



Pecaj was charged in January for the incident and spent the weekend in jail. She was charged with resisting and obstructing arrest, which is a felony. She claims that she was running against traffic on a road without a sidewalk, and that there was no reason for the officer to stop her. 

Pecaj recently pleaded guilty in court to resisting arrest, but maintains that she did nothing wrong and shouldn’t have been arrested.

“I’m a citizen that respects the law. I don’t go out there doing something wrong,” Pecaj said. “It’s humiliating to be treated [like] that. I still believe I did nothing wrong.”

For the full report, go to MLive.com.