WOW, Talk about a sad day for a Cougar

92CougLS

Registered User
Hey there guys, well, I just wanted to say, I have been through a lot with the old cat, and as it stands now, most of you guys have been right alongside me online, well, yesterday was one of the more depressing moments, and I have to say, I am at a loss, I just don't know what to do. Here's a quick recap:

Cruisin at 87 in a 60, on a less than main highway in eastern washington, I know, a little excessive, but, nothin out htere but farms and bugs, so, that is not the point anyways, I get tagged and stopped by the local county sherrif, happened to be adams county, in case anyone is lookin into this too hard, he stops me, asks for the usual stuff, asks if I know the speed limit, I didn't(really, I didn't), and proceeds back to his car. Bout 10 minutes later he informs me he needs me to step out of the car, I get out, and he directs me toward his cruiser and tells me that at this time he is gonna place me under arrest for driving while my license is suspended, I was FLOORED, so I get in the back of the cruiser, he goes through all his checks and stuff, then tells me he ISN'T gonna put me in jail, at this point in time, I had not been read any rights or cuffed, or anything, he even had the slider between the front and back seats down, he then tells me the car is going to be impounded, WHAT, I can't believe it, so I collect a couple personal belongings and head back to the cop car. The tow truck comes, takes my car, and the sherrif and I head into town, of Othello that is, he drops me off at an Exxon station, let's me use his cell to call my girlfriend, who I was on the way to visit, who lives in Moses Lake, the nearest town North, and she comes and gets me. End of story, well, sorta I got a criminal charge of driving while suspended, and a 200 dollar speeding ticket. My questions are these:

1) Can he imppound my car like that, or tell me he is arresting me without reading me my rights, I mean, if I am not under arrest, sure I can't drive the car, but couldn't I get someone else to drive it away, I wasn't thinkin about that at the time, I was a little scared, and

2) Can I get the criminal offense dropped, I mean, I found the notice today, it came in YESTERDAYS mail, which came after I left, so if I didn't know, how was I supposed to not do it, I mean, if I had known, I sure as hell wouldn't have been out there, IF I had been, I CERTAINLY wouldn't have driven like that, any and all positive or helpful feedback is appreciated, at this point, I am a little stressed, so no WHY WERE YOU GOING SO FAST, I mean, if you saw it out there, the only thing you could hit, would be a fence, or a cow, and there aren't even many cows.

I received a racing reckless driving ticket a while back, in court she said it carries a mandatory minimum of 30 days suspended, something like that, or a mimimum of at least a suspension, they never said when, or for how long, only that I would receive a notice of when my license was suspended, and I have had a couple other stops since then, no threatened arrest, no impounded car. I just want my baby, back, I just lowered it too.
one was a late night patrol, when cops are out to catch drunk drivers, was merely for not havign a front plate, and one was for doing 7 over, after having JUST turned onto a street that was a 35, so, from a 35, where I was doing 37, to a 30, and bam, radar, and ticket.

My papers are postmarked it says for the 23rd of May????????? But I didn't get it til yesterday, my mom told me it came in the mail, not to mention I was stopped for not having a hood just on monday by a state patrolman on the same road, I am fixing, well, was since I don't have the damn car, the hood brackets after they got bent in an accident, and he didn't tell me my license was suspended, just recommended I get it all back together. Someone please!!!!!! help, I mean, my mom will stand by me. So that's not a prob, and no day was specified by the court the first time around, they only said I would get a notice from teh DOL(department of licensing) telling me when it happened.

:EDIT: It even says that as far back as May 9th I must cease all driving of a motor vehicle, and I know I got that 7 over ticket after that, I had to have, so I am really confused, I dunno, maybe I am gettin it wrong, but how can this be?
 
ALSO, if you wanna donate to the free the cougar fund, PM me, and I am dead serious, since I don't have a job now, if you got 50 cents you wouldn't mind mailing me, pm, I can give you my address, man, this blows.
 
just chill out and call a lawyer, they'll talk to you for nothing. You might get off for not knowing about the suspension but the traffic charge might stick and you'll have to pay for towing etc
 
Thanks *** clown, I am gonna do all I can, and stay calm, at least the car didn't fail while I was driving around that bend.
 
I'm pretty sure they can impound your car. If your license is suspended and you're caught driving, they can take your car until you're able to pick it up or have someone else do it. I suggest do it ASAP as you'll get nailed with storage fees.

I think if you plead your case to a judge, they'd be easy. It all depends on the judge and what kind of day he/she's had.

Good luck with getting this resolved :(
 
A**CLOWN is 100% right! DEFIANTELY talk to a lawyer and find out what you have to do and what your rights in this situation are. If you go to court and they run down your driving record, if they want to nail you they'll make it sound as bad as possible. Like driving without a hood comes out as the vehicle was unsafe to be operated.

As far as reading you your rights you didn't get arrested so there's no reason to. Depending on the standard punishment for the crime a nasty judge could still sentence you to jail time. That's another reason to talk to a lawyer. The cops aren't on your side.

About impounding the car, I believe it's considered to have been used in the commission of a crime so it can be impounded.
 
Last edited:
It is posibble to get out of that sort of thing. I have. The trick is to try and pay any fines they want as long as nothing goes on your record. It may seem expensive now, but it's a lot cheaper than insurance.
 
Everybody has good points, but talk to your lawyer before you talk to anybody, or you may not find a lawyer to represent you after talking with someone.

It's also nice to have a lawyer to call 24/7 in case you get pulled over, before you say much to the cop. You do have the right, just don't have an attitude about it. Most likely you know what you did wrong, and the police can't make you keep your window down, nor can they reach inside without a warrant.

Not all cops are bad.. but all cops try to get info out of you by trapping you into saying what they want to hear.. that's their job.. so they can write you a ticket.. a nice cop might let you off a few times.. but some just use the past to really nail you in the future. Never trust a local cop, and watch what you say to any of them. You get out of WAY more stuff in court when the cop truly does not know what to think of you, doesn't know you, your family, and friends. Less to use against you. Just always wave and say hi, in a way not to make one think you want to be their friend, yet in a decent way.

Cops don't like lawyers.. lawyers jobs are to manipulate the laws to their clients benefit, right or wrong. Don't get a local lawyer, also. People have big mouths and love to talk.

My lawyer has got me out of a much bigger mess than you're in, he charged me 205 bucks, paid no tickets and cheapest out of 3 tickets that I had was 275, none went on my record, and I didn't get any punishment out of my doings. He also did it all over phone, since he is 2.5 hours away. A good lawyer can save you alot of money.

If you're smart, you'll talk to a lawyer before anything.

Good luck
 
Impound or not is part of State Law. You could probably find the statute on the website for the state government. you might want to do that just to find out how that one is classified. (Misdemenor or Gross-Misdemenor)

Note also that Driving under Suspension will kill your insurnace. In fact if you had an accident while suspended, likely insurance wouldn't pay.

The key here is to get the charges suspended and then get no further moving violations for the period the charges are suspended for. Also you need to get your license valid as soon as possible. Don't go into court and not have a valid license. If the charges are suspended, your insurance company won't get notified either.

Certainly, consider getting a laywer if you have a multiple charges already on your record. A clean record, and the procecuter will likely cut you a deal right off the bat as long as you pay court charges. But if you have a prior history, only a Lawyer is really going to know how to manuver for you.
 
Thanks you guys, sooo much, you are a ton of help, looks like the way things will go is this, first, I am gonna try and get the car outta the hole, as soon as possible, I need to try and hook up about 200 or more, since I can't get it out now, so it will keep escalating, so I gotta get a new job, well, a job, I had my hours CUT, and work not at all, so that blows, oh well. And I am gonna be sure to talk to a lawyer.
 
Make sure you contact the impound lot and tell them your situation. They might be willing to deal.

You'll also likely need to go down to the police station in the jurisdiction with a licensed driver to get a release form for the car before you can go pick it up from the pound. So just make sure you have all your ducks in a row.
 
Hey any updates on this? I've been trying to reach you since I have not recieved my blackouts yet and you recieved the money some time ago and not answering my emails, I'm starting to think I was ripped off butttt....anyway just contact me ASAP becuase I'm getting p/o'd
 
Ok, here we go, car got out of impound, like, a little over a week ago, but, my grandma paid for it, well, we have a cabin on Couer d'Alene lake, and her and my grandpa were up there and needed work done, I have been up there the whole time, alas, with no internet access, so, it is with regret I have not been able to reply, and no, Billabong089, you did not get ripped off, I don't operate that way, I had to to a bunch of work for my grandparents, as I owe them money, new motor mounts, car outta impound, tires, you know, well, I am gonna be getting it out to you today or tommorrow hopefully, gotta stop at the bank, and then things should be good to go. But, the important news is, the cat has returned.
 
So do you live in WA or ID?

Either way, you might wanna check out www.sccow.com

I dont know if you're already a member or not, but several people on there go to WSU.
 
where were you headed as kennewick is far away from othello. the cops in that are are REAL a-holes because well if you lived there you would be too. i got pulled over going 68 in a 60 after the officer watched three cars pass me going about 80. he was a complete jerk about it and i didnt do anything but answer his questions. sad thing about challenging the ticket or whatever in that area is the officar ALWAYS shows because he dosent have anything better to do, especially now that WSU is out for the summer. best of luck getting things fixed and watch out for those eastern wa cops.
 
Ok well since you haven't answered my emails, I would really like to know when you will ship this package, I am getting sick and tired of waiting... Please ship ASAP and PM me or contact me in anyway u can... I would really like to hear from you.
 
Back
Top