Can the police do that?

[Lohman446]

if they have probable cause to pull him over and if he refuses the search, can't they just impound the car and wait for a warrant?

Only if they have enough cause to impound the vehicle. Had he had a valid driver's license they could have written him a ticket for failure to use the turn signal. Driving yourself to court on an infraction you could lose your license for is not well thought out, you hear of this type of thing happening more often than you would think.

Disclaimer: not an expert.

[bornl33t]

Only if they have enough cause to impound the vehicle. Had he had a valid driver's license they could have written him a ticket for failure to use the turn signal. Driving yourself to court on an infraction you could lose your license for is not well thought out, you hear of this type of thing happening more often than you would think.

Disclaimer: not an expert.

Des Moines was doing a sting a week or so ago and it was in the paper. They showed a girl that lost her license because of OWI. She went to court to make an appeal and was turned down. As she left the parking lot she was pulled over and cited. IMO punishment should be WAY heavier of people who drive without a valid license.

[grEnAlEins]

Des Moines was doing a sting a week or so ago and it was in the paper. They showed a girl that lost her license because of OWI. She went to court to make an appeal and was turned down. As she left the parking lot she was pulled over and cited. IMO punishment should be WAY heavier of people who drive without a valid license.

I also think it should be heavier for OWI/DWI/DUI. A night in the drunk tank and a fine is not enough IMHO

[p8ntbal4me]

DWI, that can kill innocent people, in my honest opinion you got off lightly and it should be a lesson to you.

Want to tell you (the original poster) something personal about my envolvement with an issue like this.

My brother was arrested for a DWI last year when he was at college.
Somone saw his car race down a 30mph zone, loose control, fishtail everywere, dodged a telephone pole, and slid his 1996 Mustang between the pole and the guidewire that retains the pole in place.

He then proceeded to drive himself back to his room and pass out. He was woke up from his sleep by the police, who asked him is he was driving tonight, was he drinking, was that his car, and was this his mirror that they found at the scene of the accident down town.

He blew a "im WAY beyond legal limit" on the breathalizer, they took him to the ER,.. where his BAC was pretty much Jack Daniels. The blood test also yielded another source of controlled substance in his blood. He was charged wtih use of a controlled substance.

All this happened on a Thursday night. The Tuesday before in the same week, he was arrested for shoplifting from a local store. He was caught carrying 2 30 racks out the front door. He was intoxicated, shoplifting, and under the influence. My parents had to bail him out.

In an nutshell,.. my brother is an alcoholic. My father is an alcoholic as well as my sister. It runs in my family.

Since my brother has been charged, he has lost his license for at least a year. He did not see the severity of his actions until he was on my kitchen floor with my leg around his neck choking him and popping his sholder out of joint. My father did not deserve to see any of his children become what he fights every day for the rest of his life. So my brother was given 2 choices:

He can admit himself into a rehab center, clean up,.. and straighten his life out.

or

He can have his entire family turn our backs on him. No other options.


Today,... only a year later, my brother is clean, sober, and living with his addictions. He has a very well paying job, which allowed him in 1 year to pay back the 30,000 dollars for his rehab, court fees, lawyer fees, damage to his college education, continued checkups to AA as well as rehab and counciling.

He has fixed his Mustang back into original condition,... purchased a 1969 396SS Chevelle and is in the process of restoring it to original condition. He is doing his full tiem job with a 1 year promotion in the company that signed a contract to pay 100% of his education costs. He rides the bus every day for 2 hours to work, and his family does whatever they can to help him continue to keep his life on track and achive his goals in life now he has been granted a second chance.

Why I am telling you this. Your lucky. You have a second chance. You can take this opertunity you have been given and change for the better. I would have hated to turn my back on family,.. but I have the rest of my family to love as well as my brother. I refused to let his choices drag myself and the ones I love down with him.

You have a choice,.... make it count.


PS: My brother,... is 19.

[acecl22]

alcohol is the most powerful drug, i have no idea why its legal and widely accepted while less destructive recreational drugs are the devil

[Lohman446]

alcohol is the most powerful drug, i have no idea why its legal and widely accepted while less destructive recreational drugs are the devil

Rephrase? You clearly did not say what you meant. I hope...

[robnix]

Rephrase? You clearly did not say what you meant. I hope...

I think he did.

[acecl22]

what did you think i meant?

alcohol significantly reduces decision making ability, speech function, motor functions, etc. it affects the whole brain basically. people under the influence of alcohol cause many more deaths than any other drug on this planet, making it the most dangerous drug on this planet.

[Lohman446]

what did you think i meant?

I highly doubt you meant that alchohol was the most powerful drug. I would think that most people could make a good argument that heroine, cocaine, and other drugs have a far more potent reaction and are more addictive than alchohol. I would think that you could make the argument of nicotine as well. Well I do not disagree that alchohol is a serious drug, I don't think you meant that it was the most powerful out there. I assumed you misspoke, I guess I could be wrong and you could have meant it. In that case, while I agree alchohol is powerful, addictive, and can be destructive, I think it is obviously clear there are other drugs that are far more powerful, addictive, and destructive.

[Lenny]

alcohol is the most powerful drug, i have no idea why its legal and widely accepted while less destructive recreational drugs are the devil

I dunno... Them 'shrooms are awfully potent.

[robnix]

what did you think i meant?

alcohol significantly reduces decision making ability, speech function, motor functions, etc. it affects the whole brain basically. people under the influence of alcohol cause many more deaths than any other drug on this planet, making it the most dangerous drug on this planet.

Tobacco products cause 5 times as many deaths as alcohol.

[Lohman446]

Back to the original topic: You are going to end in front of a judge, again. Rather than complaining about what the police did I suggest you consider some things and seek help.

1) You have a problem
2) You have a problem with authority
3) If you ask the court for help, rather than insisting you did nothing wrong and its all a big conspiracy against you, you will probably get it.

[NotKai]

Not using your turn signal when you are driving on a suspended license?

You are brilliant!

Driving out of a court house in front of cops who KNOW your license is suspended?

ALSO BRILLIANT.


You are really smart.

[calebh]

DWI, that can kill innocent people, in my honest opinion you got off lightly and it should be a lesson to you.

^that^

i dont agree with them pulling you over as you're leaving the courthouse, especially since you were allowed to reinstate your license. i mean, how else are you supposed to get to the DMV to get a new one? i think if you had managed to turn your blinker on, you woulda been fine, unless you were just trying to break traffick laws with these 2 marshalls following you around.

so, do i think what they did was right? no. do i think getting away with DWI is right? hell no. i think you'll get over it.

[Lohman446]

^that^

i dont agree with them pulling you over as you're leaving the courthouse, especially since you were allowed to reinstate your license. i mean, how else are you supposed to get to the DMV to get a new one? i think if you had managed to turn your blinker on, you woulda been fine, unless you were just trying to break traffick laws with these 2 marshalls following you around.

so, do i think what they did was right? no. do i think getting away with DWI is right? hell no. i think you'll get over it.

Considering a judge made it crystal clear to him his license was suspended he should have called for a ride, taken a cab, whatever. Too many people justify breaking the law as "there only choice". While this is on rare occassion true, it is very rare.