Location: Waxahachie, Tx, Public Road(Ferris & Sycamore).
I went to this hotel in Waxahachie, which happend to have a bar below it. A couple friends, and myself, were talking in the parking lot and a cop in an SUV drives by. We wave to him and just keep talking. After about 5 minutes we all decide to go to one of my friends to hang out and drink a little. We leave, in two cars. They were in front of me.
While driving down Ferris Ave, I went through an intersection at Sycamore. When I entered the intersection the light turned from green to yellow(not red.. yellow). I look in my rear view mirror at the SUV behind me and notice from the reflection off of his hood that the light turned from yellow to red before he entered the interesction. Apparently, the vehicle behind me is a cop because the lights come on.
He pulls me over and asks for my license and insurance. I hand him my license and my insurance binder. He tells me that the insurance binder isn't legal proof of insurance. He then tells me to get out of the car and put my hands behind my back. He put me in cuffs and said, "I'm not gonna accept that as valid insurance." I said "That is valid proof, read it. The state of texas accepted it for me to register my car!" Then he says "I don't accept it." He proceeded to check my pockets
After he checked me and did a quick sobriety test(which I passed, wasnt drunk), he made me lean over the back of my car and called another cop in. The second cop pulled up and motioned for me to come over. The first cop told me to get up and walked me over there. I asked the second cop "Why am I being put under arrest?" He said "I don't know, let me ask."
He walked over to the first cop and asked. The first cop said "Because he doesn't have insurance." The second cop walked over to me and told me what he said(I was able to hear the officer). I told the second cop that I showed the binder to the first cop and the second cop asked "You have insurance?" I said "Yeah, go look on my drivers side seat. There's the insurance binder document right there." He walked over there, picked it up and turned to the first cop and said "This is valid proof. What are we taking him in for?" The first cop looks at him and said "Lets take him in for a red light." The second cop took me over to the Waxahachie Police Dept. and did some paperwork, took pictures, et cetera. He then took me to the Ellis County Jail.
While the staff of the jail was processing me(taking my walet, keys, shoes, etc.) they asked the officer why I was brought in for running a red light. The second officer said "*I'm just transport, I don't know what happend.*" I sat in the jail from aproximatley 1:45am(no clocks= no sense of time) until aprox 5:30 the next day waiting for a judge.
I talked to the judge the next morning, pled no contest. The judge gave me a ticket of $205-$50(time served) and said I could go home. They escort me back to the holding tank. (By this time, the guards nicknamed me "Dead Man Walking" because they thought I shouldn't even be there.) FIVE hours later, someone comes by to process me to go home. I walked half way across Waxahachie to where my car was parked, in a parking lot. The officers said they wouldn't tow the car because it was safely parked. About 9:45pm I arrived to the parking lot where the vehicle was parked and it was not there.
Today, I talked to the business and they said they had it towed about 3 hours before I left the jail. I called the Waxahachie Police Dept to find out where it was towed to. "Your vehicle does not show to have been towed," said the dispatch. I finally was able to get the location from the owner of the business when he arrived. According to the tow company and the holding lot they had gotten the vehicle about 8:00pm that night. They did not report the vehicle as towed within 2 hours. It cost me $205 to get a car that I paid $100 for out of the storage lot.
I have two witnesses that said I did not run the red light. I was not presented with a ticket or an explination from the first officer as to why I was being arrested. The second officer filed the report and wrote a ticket(which I saw, and signed, while talking to the judge.) *Smells a bit of hearsay*
Anyone have any advice on what I should do? I have to appear in court on May 12th. Everyone, who isnt an attourney, says that I should try for harrassment/false imprisonment. Waxahachie has been known to hassle anyone under the age of 30. I am always hearing from other people about them.
A little about myself: 23/white/male, Clean driving record(other than this incident), no active warrants, no previous warrants. I have valid insurance, registration and drivers license. 1990 Ford Thunderbird, in bad external condition. I wholely belive I did not run a red light(and I have two witnesses who belive the same), and that my life was put to a halt, and an excessive amount of my money had to be spent, because of this officer's prejudice. I was accused of being intoxicated by the first officer which the sobriety test proved I was not.(I could've hit the brethalizer if they had one and shown the minimum). I am confident enough in my opinion that the first officer lied to tell him to his face(which I was able to because he was bringing in another person when I was leaving).
I went to this hotel in Waxahachie, which happend to have a bar below it. A couple friends, and myself, were talking in the parking lot and a cop in an SUV drives by. We wave to him and just keep talking. After about 5 minutes we all decide to go to one of my friends to hang out and drink a little. We leave, in two cars. They were in front of me.
While driving down Ferris Ave, I went through an intersection at Sycamore. When I entered the intersection the light turned from green to yellow(not red.. yellow). I look in my rear view mirror at the SUV behind me and notice from the reflection off of his hood that the light turned from yellow to red before he entered the interesction. Apparently, the vehicle behind me is a cop because the lights come on.
He pulls me over and asks for my license and insurance. I hand him my license and my insurance binder. He tells me that the insurance binder isn't legal proof of insurance. He then tells me to get out of the car and put my hands behind my back. He put me in cuffs and said, "I'm not gonna accept that as valid insurance." I said "That is valid proof, read it. The state of texas accepted it for me to register my car!" Then he says "I don't accept it." He proceeded to check my pockets
After he checked me and did a quick sobriety test(which I passed, wasnt drunk), he made me lean over the back of my car and called another cop in. The second cop pulled up and motioned for me to come over. The first cop told me to get up and walked me over there. I asked the second cop "Why am I being put under arrest?" He said "I don't know, let me ask."
He walked over to the first cop and asked. The first cop said "Because he doesn't have insurance." The second cop walked over to me and told me what he said(I was able to hear the officer). I told the second cop that I showed the binder to the first cop and the second cop asked "You have insurance?" I said "Yeah, go look on my drivers side seat. There's the insurance binder document right there." He walked over there, picked it up and turned to the first cop and said "This is valid proof. What are we taking him in for?" The first cop looks at him and said "Lets take him in for a red light." The second cop took me over to the Waxahachie Police Dept. and did some paperwork, took pictures, et cetera. He then took me to the Ellis County Jail.
While the staff of the jail was processing me(taking my walet, keys, shoes, etc.) they asked the officer why I was brought in for running a red light. The second officer said "*I'm just transport, I don't know what happend.*" I sat in the jail from aproximatley 1:45am(no clocks= no sense of time) until aprox 5:30 the next day waiting for a judge.
I talked to the judge the next morning, pled no contest. The judge gave me a ticket of $205-$50(time served) and said I could go home. They escort me back to the holding tank. (By this time, the guards nicknamed me "Dead Man Walking" because they thought I shouldn't even be there.) FIVE hours later, someone comes by to process me to go home. I walked half way across Waxahachie to where my car was parked, in a parking lot. The officers said they wouldn't tow the car because it was safely parked. About 9:45pm I arrived to the parking lot where the vehicle was parked and it was not there.
Today, I talked to the business and they said they had it towed about 3 hours before I left the jail. I called the Waxahachie Police Dept to find out where it was towed to. "Your vehicle does not show to have been towed," said the dispatch. I finally was able to get the location from the owner of the business when he arrived. According to the tow company and the holding lot they had gotten the vehicle about 8:00pm that night. They did not report the vehicle as towed within 2 hours. It cost me $205 to get a car that I paid $100 for out of the storage lot.
I have two witnesses that said I did not run the red light. I was not presented with a ticket or an explination from the first officer as to why I was being arrested. The second officer filed the report and wrote a ticket(which I saw, and signed, while talking to the judge.) *Smells a bit of hearsay*
Anyone have any advice on what I should do? I have to appear in court on May 12th. Everyone, who isnt an attourney, says that I should try for harrassment/false imprisonment. Waxahachie has been known to hassle anyone under the age of 30. I am always hearing from other people about them.
A little about myself: 23/white/male, Clean driving record(other than this incident), no active warrants, no previous warrants. I have valid insurance, registration and drivers license. 1990 Ford Thunderbird, in bad external condition. I wholely belive I did not run a red light(and I have two witnesses who belive the same), and that my life was put to a halt, and an excessive amount of my money had to be spent, because of this officer's prejudice. I was accused of being intoxicated by the first officer which the sobriety test proved I was not.(I could've hit the brethalizer if they had one and shown the minimum). I am confident enough in my opinion that the first officer lied to tell him to his face(which I was able to because he was bringing in another person when I was leaving).