No, he didn't exceed his authority. If he had, the assholes wouldn't have left.
This happened some time ago. Fuck the feds.
"“Specifically, the FDA was inspecting his farm without a warrant as much as every two weeks. Typical inspections occur annually. The Department of Justice (DOJ) had subpoenaed him for a grand jury in Michigan in which he was to bring his production documents. The Feds wanted to make this farmer an example.”
This is the sort of shit we put up with. Assfucks showing up, warrantless, telling us we HAVE to allow them to fuck with our property because they are "federal agents". Fuck them. We don't have to do shit.
The feds should have taken this to court rather than walk away. If the feds were wrong that does not address the actions of the sheriff, only their own.
What the sheriff did was 100 percent constitutional. The feds were the ones violating the constitution. And they know it, which is why they didn't take it to court.
"Federal stance
Ross Goldstein is the Justice Department attorney who is investigating Hochstetler’s operation. Friday he declined to comment on the case, saying federal law prohibits him from talking about grand jury cases.
“We can’t talk about it,” Goldstein said, “because there is an ongoing federal investigation.”
But Goldstein did email Rogers and warned him that interfering with a federal investigation could be prosecuted as a felony and would carry up to a three-year term in prison. Goldstein also cited the federal “supremacy clause” that the Supreme Court has interpreted as making federal rules and laws superior to local ones.
“The supremacy clause has been interpreted since the earliest days of the nation to mean that federal law trumps state law whenever the two conflict,” Goldstein wrote.
And the attorney contends that federal law specifically allows the inspection of Hochstetler’s farm without a warrant.
“Because Forest Grove Dairy manufactures, processes, packages or holds food, the provision of federal law authorizes FDA personnel to enter Mr. Hochstetler’s property,” Goldstein wrote. “Because it is a federal law, indeed an act of Congress, officers or employees of the FDA may do so lawfully without regard to any Indiana law to the contrary.”
After receiving the email, Rogers indicated he is not changing his stance. He said he has talked to county attorneys about the issue, but in the end, any action or inaction is his call.
There have been no recent attempts by the FDA to inspect Hochstetler’s farm, Rogers said. The last attempt was in March, at which time Hochstetler refused entry to the inspectors, according to the sheriff."
Middlebury dairy farmer, Sheriff stand up to FDA
When I see the Supremacy Clause overturned or this adjudicated I will change my perspective.