The Eric Metaxas Show - Robert Leon Davis - Part 1 (Encore)

Episode Date: June 25, 2020

Robert Leon Davis hid out in the woods and evaded the law for 22 years -- he recounts his remarkable story from his book, "Running Scared: The Corrupt Cop Busted by God." (Encore Presentation)

I shouldn't tell you this, but Eric hired someone who sounds just like him to host today's show. But since I'm the announcer, they told me. So I am telling you, don't be fooled. The real Eric's in jail. And welcome. I'm sorry, folks, for laughing at Todd Wilkerson's tomfoolery, but I can't help it. I have a story for you today. Are you ready for what is like a great, great story?

As a guy, speaking as a guy, and by the way, I am a guy, I think guys all have this fantasy of escaping into the woods, going off the grid, living off the land, running from the law. This story that you're going to hear today, I have on the line a man named Robert Leon Davis. He did this. he was a fugitive living off the land for 22 years. This is a movie. If somebody doesn't make a movie out of this, they're insane. He was a cop. He became corrupt.

All I can tell you is he's on the line. Robert Leon Davis, I want to hear this from you. Welcome to the program. How are you doing, Eric? I'm doing great. Your story is like truly one of those stories. You can't believe this is true. but I know it's true.

Your book is titled Running Scared. I want to hear your story. So let's start at the beginning. Where'd you grow up? Okay, but I'm saying New Orleans is you're there now in Louisiana. That's your life has been lived there apart from the 22 years in the woods. Yeah, yes. And you grew up, did you grow up as a Christian?

Yeah, come out of a Christian household, one of those households where you don't have a choice. Well, but you, but you, You and I were talking a little bit yesterday. You shared how pretty soon you got involved in crime, stealing cars, breaking them down, selling the parts to offense. And this just became part of your life. When did you decide to become a cop? Okay. Now, in your mind, because I know you became a corrupt police officer, how long was it before you go from being a good cop to a bad cop?

or did you enter with mixed motives? Changed on. So at what point, by the way, how old are you right now? Now? Yes. Oh, I'm over 60. You're over 60. Okay.

Okay, so this is. I don't give out really detailed information because, you know, it's a lot of people. Yeah, that's what you're saying is that there's corruption, and when you come out against it, people are going to come after you. I just asked to get a sense of your story. So you are, at this point, is this the 80s, the 70s, when you are just starting out as a cop? And I'm in my.

Okay. So you start as a cop. When do you begin to slip over to the dark side and enter corruption as a police officer? Well, once I got out there, camp got a bad, I can accident, not legal, carry a gun, commission. This guy just started stopping vehicles for no reason. I mean, we just, how did we make these stops? Because I understand, I'm just coming out to Police Academy.

So I'm by the book, okay? But everything he's doing is outside. And I heard it and I didn't. He's the same. It was just like, against everything that I'm geared up for. I mean, like, you know, I'm not with this. I feel about I decided not to discuss it anymore. But what was he doing when he was pulling these people over?

In other words, it was something dirty going on or he's shaking him down. What was happening? that he was doing that was not right. You know, you have to be, you have to be doing something. The type of vehicle that has, and everything is okay, and the people are driving.

Was he, what, was he, now, was he black or white? He was black. So this was, was this racial profiling? What was he doing? No, well, I'm doing with black and white cops. You remember, I'm rotating with, with, with, I'm not with one officer.

Right. Maybe I should have said that from the beginning. I'm not with one trainer. Rotating only with three, every two or three days I'm seeing the same, you know, I'm looping back to the other one. Right. But I'm happy with white cops and black cops. But every time I loop with the three trainers, it's the same scheme.

It's the same thing. They're shaking people down. We're going to come back. I want to get the rest of the story. Folks, you will not believe this story. You will not believe it. You have to believe it because it's true. Stick around talking to Robert Leon Davis.

Folks, I think that's enough part of your family for now. I'm talking to Robert Leon Davis. The book is Running, Running, Scared. unbelievable story of a good cop, gone bad, and then that's not even the beginning of where it gets crazy. So right now, Robert, you are just saying that you start out as a young cop and you start seeing these cops doing things they shouldn't be doing. Where does it go into corruption? In other words, what you're describing to me right now doesn't seem that bad. It just seems kind of weird.

And that, say, for instance, if you're stopping a pedestrian and you stop and they're searching them, they're not searching, searching them for you saying, I'm not talking about just stops. I'm talking about stops with an intention. But if the, if the goods are not there, you let them go. But there were times when we stopped people would stop guys and then the guy would take out his wallet and you say, give me your wallet. Okay, now I'm getting it. Now I'm getting it. It took me 10 minutes. So this is a shakedown. You can take the care out of the guy at wallet and give him back his wallet. Of course, the guy is incredulous, like, whatever. But he's like, what do you want to do? You want to go to his jail? I'll make up a charge on you. Is this $100 worth it?

You know, that kind of thing. That's okay. This is amazing. So this is New Orleans. Of course, you let him go. Yeah. The guy might complain to internal affairs, but, you know, as it is as it is today, there's a tendency for judges and district attorney.

That's how it is. This is how it is. You all know that's just how it is. I'm not saying all cops are that way. Of course not. Some cops, but there are a tremendous amount of bad cops. So what I'm saying is that crime was taking place at these stops, at these pedestrian stops, at these vehicle stops. And it kept going. And it was no more than what I had done when I was in New Orleans as a crook. As a crook. Okay, so you're watching this. You're a young cop. where does it go from there when do you get sucked into it when i saw what was going on i went to my commander and i gave i've been through this in the garbage can you'll probably be and i said where you get out and you get blacklisted nobody's going to back you up on the burglary call nobody's going to back you up on the shooting we're going to back you up but instead of getting a minute to get there we're going to be four or five minutes to get there you get what he's trying

to tell me he's telling me that i'm going to be blacklisted and and and And there is such a threat that once you was back me, nobody wants to deal with you, nobody going to back. This is like, I think it's better to work for the mafia organized crime. This is the level, this kind of corruption, we know when I hear about this, my blood boils. This is the most un-American, nasty. It just, it's so upsetting. I'm glad that, you know, we're talking about 1980, but the point is, I know some of this stuff still goes on. So what happens at that point?

Because now you're, you're just a couple of weeks into this. You're a rookie. You hear this. What do you do? You're talking about a veteran police officer, a commandant, looking at you telling you this, and you're a young little snide-nosed 21-year-old, and what do you do? Look what I'd invest it. Look at all the time I spent the police academy.

I could have walked away from it. But by that time, I didn't have the, if I would have called my grandmother, she would have probably told me. But I put too much into it. And so I made a fatal mistake. I joined the club, and that's pretty much what it is. You know, you either do it or you don't do it. And you've got to understand something. It's not like it is now in 2018.

And now, police officers now can report each other without naming each other, and they never will know who did what. Back 179, I have to have my name on the report, and it has to go to internal affairs, And they're going to call these officers in and said Robert Davis said it's a different situation. Yeah. So, you know, as I talk about in my book, you either join the club or you get out the club. And unfortunately, I'm young, dumb, stoop.

I became one of the worst corrupt officers. That's amazing. At that point, because it was already ingrained in me from childhood. Right. You know what I'm trying to say? It's so eye-opening. It's so hard to hear this. because when you think about the way young people look at cops today, they should look at them like this is the law.

And instead, many of them have this kind of a view because it just takes a couple of bad cops to destroy a whole generation's view of law enforcement. It's just satanic. That's that's all I call it. It's satanic. Yeah. Right. What do you have a problem? Yep.

You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Because, I mean, and I'm glad I want to say this off front, which I know you know, but it's amazing that I have to, you know, that I live that kind of way where I have to live a low profile way for the police officers. Well, it's amazing stuff. All right. So you served for four years, and in 19, was it, 1979 that you were arrested? I can't remember. Angola Prison is a great prison.

I know Angola Prison. Keep in mind, the word has come down. Cadeo Davis police officers arrested. So it's all over Louisiana. The inmates get worried of seven inmates in Angola. You're a dead man. Tell me. Oh, absolutely.

Well, this is before, when I say Angola is a great prison, over the last years, it has experienced unbelievable spiritual revival. Jesus lives in that prison. It's like one of the, that's a whole I could do programs on Angola Prison. But you're telling me in 1979, you know, if you go behind me, bars in that prison, you're a dead man. 1979. Something that I'm making up.

You can do this around that time and then as recently in the 90s was listed. Wow. Tourists. A tourist. Probably being robbed by tourists had problems being robbed by cops more than by criminals.

Okay. So remind me not to go to New Orleans in 1979. Well, so cell phones. Cell phone camera made to change. because the camera body cams. That all made the change. Remember, we're talking good against word in 1979.

I wake you, you should make a complaint, and you think that judge is going to put it up when I have a pristine record, and you're probably, it wasn't that. So sometimes technology really does help us. We're going to go to a break. We got to get to the heart of this story. Your story is so unbelievable.

I want my audience to understand that this is a true story. story. The book is called Running Scared. Running Scared by Robert Leon Davis. We'll be right back. The Trump campaign has a special offer just for you. President Trump wants to meet you. This will be the first opportunity he's had to meet with American patriots like you since our country started reopening. His team will cover the flight and hotel and give you VIP access for yourself and a guest. He'll even take a picture with you. All you have to do is text VIP to 88022 today for your chance to meet President Trump. Again, that's VIP to 88022 for your chance to win and join President Trump in the fight to to keep America great for four more years.

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That's get the tea.com. And the Bible we read of a city with streets that are paid with your goal. We will live in that city forever. Hey folks, it's Eric McTax's show. I'm talking to Robert Leon Davis. He was a fugitive from the law for 22 years living in the woods. He was a cop who became a bad cop. We were at that part in the story.

The book is titled Running, Scared. Robert, you go by Robert or Robert Leon? No, but I'm saying, but if I'm talking to you, do I say Robert or Robert Leon? Oh, you say Robert. I just say Robert. I just want to be clear. Okay, now, Robert, listen, you, so you are now facing going to jail for what you did. What's that?

30 years. Okay, you're 50 years. Now, what did they get you on? What had you done? They got my name come up. I got set up on the stain. So this is something you had been doing for years? Oh, yes, sir.

Okay, and so many others have been doing the same thing. So this is cops, pull somebody over, it's an attractive woman. They decide I'm going to trade sex for, I mean, this is like right out of, you know, movies. It's just a nightmare to hear this happen in the United States of America. So you're facing 30 years and you know you're going to die. so you decide to skip bail. I skip bailing up. Oh, I'm sorry.

Yeah, you skipped the trial. I had a trial day coming up in December of 1970 in December. Think of anything explain myself is I'm the kind of guy that when I go on a car lot, I come to buy a car. You can't sell me one if that makes any sense. I got you. You know, I got that type of personality. Either I'm sold or I'm not. Yeah.

And I said, but if anybody's going to search for me like there's no tomorrow, every only thing I could do, only thing I could possibly do. is learn how to live out in the, I skipped back then we wouldn't use. I began to study, navigation. See, now, the reason I find this funny and fascinating and amazing is because people might assume you already knew that stuff. No. But the idea that you make a decision, like, if I go to Angola prison, I'm a dead man, I don't want to die. So I'm now going to study up on how to live off the land to.

I mean, this is like, if somebody may be. making a movie out of this or not people a couple of production company that that does voice the interest in it well this is now for a while okay the book is running scared but i mean this is just like the idea that now you're going to the library you're you're a flight risk but i guess they don't realize that they don't think you're going to disappear and you're studying up and how to live off the land and you're thinking this is this is my only way to survive otherwise i'm dead so even i can understand, you know, that what are you supposed to do at that point? So you do this crazy thing. Okay, so keep going. So you're studying up on this stuff and then what?

Well, I divided my days up to certain subject, certain days, to one book. And then by the time I get to the two-month mark, I forgot what I learned. It was the same. I did, I did the wood study, the library study, as much as I did with my police officer studies, in which I was copped in my class. I wanted to understand navigation. map reading, compography. I wanted to know weather techniques. I brought a book with me about edible plants in U.S. Body temperature regulation.

Old English guy named Thomas Bade. In other words, humility's world. This is so fascinating. And whenever I'm delighted, I say that I find this hilarious. This is like so amazing. This is so delightful. We're going to be right back.

We're talking to Robert Leon Davis. The book is Running Scared. We'll be right back. talking to Robert Leon Davis, the book is Running Scared. One of the most fascinating stories, do not miss this. Before we go back to talking to Robert Leon Davis about running scared, I want to remind you, if you go to Metaxusforhillsdale.com, they have a free college course on how to kill and dress out an animal in the woods.

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Go to Metaxus for Hillsdale.com. Metaxus for Hillsdale.com. Check this out. And now I return to my conversation. Couldn't be more fascinating. Robert Leon Davis, really, you are funny because when you're talking to me about studying these books and stuff, this is like out of a movie. Who would do this? I mean, it's one thing to say, I'm scared and you run, and then you figure it out as you go along.

No, you have this obsessive personality. Now you're studying like for. That's the word, obsessive. Obsess. It's amazing. It's amazing. Okay. So you're studying all these books.

You're obviously very smart, and you're doing this thing. Okay, at what point do you say I'm ready to go? And what do you do when you skip out? Where do you go? Well, I wanted to get out the United States. I had to go through a whole flight risk. They did consider me. I get out the house.

40 minutes later, if you do that in two days, it probably took me. I was seen in my life even to this date called Gattano National Force. I mean, this is just, I can't even. tell you how fascinating I find this. I knew I would, but you must have been scared to death on those five days. You know, I talk about in my book, first night as I'm sleeping in my 20 minutes. Wait a second, wait a second. You're talking about this is once you get into the into Canada? But I'm talking about before that, oh, yeah. On five days you're jumping from bus to bus. They're obviously looking for you. Somebody's looking for you because you're already

people who don't kind of hard to explain, but you get into this paranoid thing where even though you're in a different city, if somebody look at you at a certain way, sometimes it's not good to be too intellect. In other words, if you get all I'm saying, in other words, the way that he's moving and the way that he's moving, I'm thinking, well, maybe this is going to arrest me, and they know where I'm at. You know what I'm trying to say? It's almost like a, it's almost like a, sometimes it's the worst thing to be as a doctor,

and you get an ailment. You know what I'm saying? Yes. I was going to say, if you're stupid, you wouldn't even notice these people. You wouldn't even notice it. But I mean, the idea that you're taking five days to get to the Canadian border, and that those five days, you don't know what's going to come at you. You have no idea.

I don't know what's going to come at me. And I don't know how it's going to come at me. And the only thing I know is if I can make it over the border, not that Canada didn't have extradition. treated that they still have one they had one and they're not used they're not used to seeing strange black men walking around in the woods either up in canada that's my point that's a good point and that's why i had to go deep into the woods i mean like about like seven or eight nine miles and deep you know no nothing you know just i'll probably die at did you ever see did you ever see

bigfoot no man somebody called me up from a bigfoot show and and tried they tried they best to get he's lied. Come on. I'm like, man, I'm not telling you no lie like that. And you know, it's funny because I don't believe in Bigfoot because I always said if there was a Bigfoot, I should have met him. Well, I do believe in Bigfoot, and I think Bigfoot's smart enough to stay away from you. That's what I think. But anyway, okay, so you are wandering in the woods there. You were just saying that when you just got over the border into Canada, you said you weren't even sleeping. You're taking catnaps. Why are you doing that? Why? Why wouldn't you just walk 20 miles into the woods and get a good night's sleep? Set up the camp. You're eight, nine miles deep in the woods. Now, you've read or haven't put it into plate.

Book couldn't tell me how the forest would look at night when it was looking pretty in the daytime. It didn't tell me that. And I'm petrified. I'm hearing sounds that I don't hear in New Orleans. Picture this. Picture this. Picture the kind of things that they got there that we don't have here. They got Wolverines. They got Wolverines pound for pound of the most frightening mammal on planet Earth. We're going to be right back, folks. The book is Running Scared by Robert Leon Davis. Stick around.

Hey there, folks. It's Eric McAxas show. I'm talking to Robert Leon Davis. Before he escaped into the woods of Canada, he must have been familiar with Casey and the Sunshine Band. I hope so. I cannot believe your story. It gets funnier and funnier. This is a black man in the woods of Canada.

it gets dark and you're starting to think about Wolverines. Well, here's the thing. As I was saying to you, now keep in mind, I was giving an example, sleeping in my sleeping bag, something touched it. You know what? That's better than where are my glasses there on the top of my head. Yeah, that's petrified. And keep in mind now before we end this, keep in mind, I'm an atheist by now, okay?

At this point, at this point, you can't pray to God protect me from the Wolverines and my left leg. There's no such thing as God. How can God ever put me in a position like this? Everything grandma told me is out the window. But just within my soul, okay, everything, if I can't see it, touch it, hold it, and or feel it, I don't believe it at this point. Which I did. I mean, you know, it was rough in the beginning, of course. But it's funny because you'll be, you'll be, you'll be astounded.

at the human mind once is placed in a type of cap. What are my favorite books? I don't know. I didn't expect you to bring him up. Usually formerly corrupt cops from New Orleans do not bring up Victor Frankel, just in case you're wondering about that. But yeah, that's one of the great books. That's one of the great books.

I'm very familiar with it off, and I realized that what I had, concentration camps, so I'm not equating that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. But what I'm saying is that essentially was out of existence. I begin to experience, even though. I was in a bad situation. Right.

I became used of it. Five years, I got really got... But I mean, people wondering, what the heck, what are you doing alone in the woods? Once you made peace with your left leg and you're able to sleep through the night, I mean, now I got to ask you, Robert, are you able to stay to do part two on this? Because we haven't scratched the surface. Okay, so... All right, so this is, we're coming to the end of part one here. So you mean to tell me.

that, you know, when you said I'm going to be in the woods these years, what do you do with your days? I guess you become like a hunter. I had days like you would have. I had days where I called watching TV where I would climb like a tree, like a tree, almost on each other, how they had almost frolic with each other, how they communicated with each other.

That was I called looking at TV. I think that's way better than the TV that we have today because there's far less. Cursing. Far less cursing with the frolicking animals. He was able to see four generations of birds. Four generations of birds. All right. We got to end. This is the end of part one. Ladies and gentlemen, you're listening to Robert Leon Davis talking about his book, Running Scared. What an amazing story. It's the Eric Mattaxas show. We will be back with part two. Thanks for listening.