Well,
Last night I decided to go get some cigars with a friend of mine. So we make a 5 minute run up the road. My car is sounding good and loud. We pull up next to a car full of small kids. The kid's father begs me to rev the engine for his son....so I give it a little blip. The kid's faces glow with delight and the dad say's thanks.
Now when I blipped my exhaust, there was a black Firebird sitting 3 cars to the front of the traffic light. I was behind several other cars and was not lined up against him. The owner of the Firebird hears my car and as soon as the light turns green....he nails it and squeals his tires along with his lound exhaust. I move forward in traffic and the kid's father lets me in the right lane since I needed to turn right. Traffic was moving so I gave it a little gas and got in front. (By no means did I squeal my tires when I moved to the right lane, but my exhaust is very loud).
Well about 7 cars behind me in traffic is a small town cop. I know he couldn't have seen my car right away....but I think he heard the Firebird and then he see's my Viper. He appearently automatically thinks I am racing since my car is loud. Part of the reason why it may have sounded like I was gunning it was the overpass bridge I was going under...it made my car sound louder. So I get pulled over and the officer goes through his normal ....licencse and registration scenrio. He told me I was racing and I told him I wasn't. Obviously he didn't believe me....(which I am sure he has a lot of those people that same the same thing). But in my case it was the dead honest truth.
He runs my license and sees 3 years ago I had a reckless driving charge that I was not convicted of. He comes up to me and says...I don't know who your high powered attorney is, but it was not right that you got off your last charge 3 years ago....I was like huh? He took me out of my Viper and proceeded to cuff me. I tried to explain to him my car is loud and I was not racing. No luck. He puts the cuffs on so tight, my hand turns purple and til this day, my hand is still numb. The officer tells me that the reason why he is arresting me is that I didn't learn my 1st lesson. I was like, I was not convicted on the 1st charge I had a long time ago. He said he doesn't care...so he hauls me off to jail.
The officer calls a tow truck to get my car impounded...As I saw the viper get load..I was afraid that they would do damage while towing. The cops sat there and laughed making jokes about how good he would look in my car.
I get in the back of the squad car and I am pleading with him to be careful with my car when they tow it. He starts making jokes about how he got a viper and let a GM car get away...he said that was kind of ironic? He contiunes to joke with his Sargent telling him how good he will look behind the wheels. The tow truck driver has no idea on how to load the Viper, but the cop was determined to be difficult. It almost appeared he wanted the Viper damaged.
I get hauled down town and booked. I was told by the lying cop I would be out in a couple of hours. I spend nearly 27 hours in prison for his BS charges. There were even cops in the that were booking me saying this is BS and I should not be in there. I got to spend the night with the Jerry Springer crowd that night. I tell you what, I hated every moment of it and do not want to go through this again.
The cop makes jokes on how his crown vic closed on my viper to his Sargent and how he beat me. (Kind of easy to beat me when I pull over right away. He handcuffs me and I go downtown to get booked. Since this is my first and also my last time I get arrested, they didn't allow me to do own recongnices. I had a $500 bond. I pretty much stayed up all night with one eye open and one closed. The idiots in the system lost my paperwork and at 3am they want to requestion me. A person who had assult charges was let go on his own recongnices...get that!! I am harmless and this fool walks out. The guards would not tell me anything so I finally make my call and got ahold of my parents...my parents call for me and found out I had a bond...no one told me this in jail! I would have sat there in jail for 4 days. My poor wife comes down and post bail, but on the way of posting bail there were two screwy people trying to rip her off on her money in the courthouse. I got out 27 hours later and it cost me $400 to get my Viper out of the lot. My wife was real cool about everything and very supportive. I tell you one thing if you have never been arrested...don't! IT *****!!!! The Jerry Springer people you have to deal with and on top of that the attitude of the gaurds *****.
I basically almost loss all interest in fast cars because
I felt bad for my wife and what she had to go through to get me out.
My wife post bail for me and now I am a bit angry at this cop who did not even give me a chance to explain to him that the squealing and loud exhaust he heard was the Firebird and not me. Obviously he didn't care. He said he saw the Firebird ahead of me and he continues to say I was racing.
Now I have to get an attorney and the arresting cop was trying to be my friend on the way to getting me booked and he said the attorney would be a waste of money. He said I should just pay the fines and call it a night. Hell no! I am going to make this cop jump through hoops if I can because of all the BS he put me through for nothing.
The questions I had is:
1. Can the cop arrest me just because I was charged with a previous reckless driving event, but was not convicted of it? He told me that is why I am getting arrested was for getting off last time.
2. Can the cop record what I am saying in the car? It appeared he tried to coherce me into saying I was racing. I asked if he was recording...he said no...not sure if that would even be put into trial. The trial system is soo booked...I am thinking they just want this traffic BS charge out of the court system as soon as possible?
3. Any tips or advice for me?
The cop said I was speeding, but had no mph to prove I was speeding. He also admiited seeing the Firebird ahead of me taking off real hard. My passenger asked why they were arresting me and the cop said because we were drag racing...and he said "we were not racing". The cop replied...yes you were. So my friend says..."what is your definition of drag racing"...the cop replies..."I don't know". My friend then replies and says..."so you are arresting him for drag racing but you don't know what defines drag racing?"
I think my friend was doing more damage then good...but the good news is that I have a witness if I need one.
Bottom line this cop was out to make sure I was going to jail...this was not a fun experience and cost me alot of money and time.
Becareful out there!
Last night I decided to go get some cigars with a friend of mine. So we make a 5 minute run up the road. My car is sounding good and loud. We pull up next to a car full of small kids. The kid's father begs me to rev the engine for his son....so I give it a little blip. The kid's faces glow with delight and the dad say's thanks.
Now when I blipped my exhaust, there was a black Firebird sitting 3 cars to the front of the traffic light. I was behind several other cars and was not lined up against him. The owner of the Firebird hears my car and as soon as the light turns green....he nails it and squeals his tires along with his lound exhaust. I move forward in traffic and the kid's father lets me in the right lane since I needed to turn right. Traffic was moving so I gave it a little gas and got in front. (By no means did I squeal my tires when I moved to the right lane, but my exhaust is very loud).
Well about 7 cars behind me in traffic is a small town cop. I know he couldn't have seen my car right away....but I think he heard the Firebird and then he see's my Viper. He appearently automatically thinks I am racing since my car is loud. Part of the reason why it may have sounded like I was gunning it was the overpass bridge I was going under...it made my car sound louder. So I get pulled over and the officer goes through his normal ....licencse and registration scenrio. He told me I was racing and I told him I wasn't. Obviously he didn't believe me....(which I am sure he has a lot of those people that same the same thing). But in my case it was the dead honest truth.
He runs my license and sees 3 years ago I had a reckless driving charge that I was not convicted of. He comes up to me and says...I don't know who your high powered attorney is, but it was not right that you got off your last charge 3 years ago....I was like huh? He took me out of my Viper and proceeded to cuff me. I tried to explain to him my car is loud and I was not racing. No luck. He puts the cuffs on so tight, my hand turns purple and til this day, my hand is still numb. The officer tells me that the reason why he is arresting me is that I didn't learn my 1st lesson. I was like, I was not convicted on the 1st charge I had a long time ago. He said he doesn't care...so he hauls me off to jail.
The officer calls a tow truck to get my car impounded...As I saw the viper get load..I was afraid that they would do damage while towing. The cops sat there and laughed making jokes about how good he would look in my car.
I get in the back of the squad car and I am pleading with him to be careful with my car when they tow it. He starts making jokes about how he got a viper and let a GM car get away...he said that was kind of ironic? He contiunes to joke with his Sargent telling him how good he will look behind the wheels. The tow truck driver has no idea on how to load the Viper, but the cop was determined to be difficult. It almost appeared he wanted the Viper damaged.
I get hauled down town and booked. I was told by the lying cop I would be out in a couple of hours. I spend nearly 27 hours in prison for his BS charges. There were even cops in the that were booking me saying this is BS and I should not be in there. I got to spend the night with the Jerry Springer crowd that night. I tell you what, I hated every moment of it and do not want to go through this again.
The cop makes jokes on how his crown vic closed on my viper to his Sargent and how he beat me. (Kind of easy to beat me when I pull over right away. He handcuffs me and I go downtown to get booked. Since this is my first and also my last time I get arrested, they didn't allow me to do own recongnices. I had a $500 bond. I pretty much stayed up all night with one eye open and one closed. The idiots in the system lost my paperwork and at 3am they want to requestion me. A person who had assult charges was let go on his own recongnices...get that!! I am harmless and this fool walks out. The guards would not tell me anything so I finally make my call and got ahold of my parents...my parents call for me and found out I had a bond...no one told me this in jail! I would have sat there in jail for 4 days. My poor wife comes down and post bail, but on the way of posting bail there were two screwy people trying to rip her off on her money in the courthouse. I got out 27 hours later and it cost me $400 to get my Viper out of the lot. My wife was real cool about everything and very supportive. I tell you one thing if you have never been arrested...don't! IT *****!!!! The Jerry Springer people you have to deal with and on top of that the attitude of the gaurds *****.
I basically almost loss all interest in fast cars because
I felt bad for my wife and what she had to go through to get me out.
My wife post bail for me and now I am a bit angry at this cop who did not even give me a chance to explain to him that the squealing and loud exhaust he heard was the Firebird and not me. Obviously he didn't care. He said he saw the Firebird ahead of me and he continues to say I was racing.
Now I have to get an attorney and the arresting cop was trying to be my friend on the way to getting me booked and he said the attorney would be a waste of money. He said I should just pay the fines and call it a night. Hell no! I am going to make this cop jump through hoops if I can because of all the BS he put me through for nothing.
The questions I had is:
1. Can the cop arrest me just because I was charged with a previous reckless driving event, but was not convicted of it? He told me that is why I am getting arrested was for getting off last time.
2. Can the cop record what I am saying in the car? It appeared he tried to coherce me into saying I was racing. I asked if he was recording...he said no...not sure if that would even be put into trial. The trial system is soo booked...I am thinking they just want this traffic BS charge out of the court system as soon as possible?
3. Any tips or advice for me?
The cop said I was speeding, but had no mph to prove I was speeding. He also admiited seeing the Firebird ahead of me taking off real hard. My passenger asked why they were arresting me and the cop said because we were drag racing...and he said "we were not racing". The cop replied...yes you were. So my friend says..."what is your definition of drag racing"...the cop replies..."I don't know". My friend then replies and says..."so you are arresting him for drag racing but you don't know what defines drag racing?"
I think my friend was doing more damage then good...but the good news is that I have a witness if I need one.
Bottom line this cop was out to make sure I was going to jail...this was not a fun experience and cost me alot of money and time.
Becareful out there!