So...here goes... I have 3 vehicles, all insured and one for sale (after a deer hit and is now having many
internal engine troubles). I parked it on the stree in our bed room community with no problems for a year, then
I forgot to renew my tabbies. Our fine city decided to do a SWEEP of illegal cars. I see a cop and a tow truck
right near my van! I inquire politely, then learn thwhat they are up to. The officer agreed to let me push my
expired tab vehicle which was illegally parked on the city street (one of 16 they tagged and towed that day, I
learned) unto MY driveway using MY other vehicle, and with a friend's help. See, it wouldn't start (it turned
over several times, but the fuel was low on octane or the pump was failing), so I had to push it into my
driveway. I got it on my private property, and parked my other legally tabbed and insured vehicle IN FRONT OF
the illegal one.
The officer insisted I still had to pay the tow driver CASH just for showing up, but I had NO CASH!! Just a
check, credit card or debit card, all of which he refused !! He offered to drive me to the nearest ATM. I had 2
neighbor kids over, MY 4 kids (including an 11 week old infant), so six (6) kids total in my care, and the wife
was out shopping! I all along stated I wanted to pay, but had to find a suitable solution to my childcare
problem at hand! My driver friend left, wanting no part in this mess, and took his daughter home from this
increasingly bothersome scene, so when he left I had noone to watch my kids so I could go get the cash. I could
not/would not leave MY kids alone to drive to an ATM!, nor did I have a carseat base to leave with! I would have
been illegally overloaded with kids if I tried to leave anyway!
The Tow guy would not come back to get his money, or take a check, so I says "I guess you'll have to take me to
court..." kind of facieously. That got them steamed, 2 more squads were called in, officer threatened to arrest
me for obstruction of justice and said he immediately would send my kids to a kid shelter (Wow, huh!? 2 weren't
even mine and one was a first time visitor! What a story she had to tell her folks!), all cuz THEY let me move
the van OFF the street. I finally conceeeded, and left one cop at my door with no right of entrys givne, left my
12 year old boy in charge of the babay, secretly thinking I would sue the pants of the city if anything happened
to my kids while I was gone with the portly cop to get their money.
My question: Could I have been arrested if I had just went inside at that point and locked the door? Just
wondering what could have happened, what my "rights" were. I had already satisfied the intent of the law, that
is, getting my unlicensed but insured van off the city street. The expired tabs came to $21, and the tow that
never happened was $103. I'm still wondering if the officer could have arrested me, or if they could have towed
BOTH of my vehilces.
2007-02-12
17:32:43
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7 answers
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asked by
duluthguy427
1
in
Law Enforcement & Police