Traffic violation procedures
in Criminal and Misdemeanor Law ·
Hey everyone.
Last Sunday, I was driving from Carmel-by-the-Sea toward Washington, D.C. Just before hitting the Appalachian Mountains, I got pulled over. It was a routine stop—one young officer in uniform and a detective in plain clothes. Everything seemed fine until I handed over my docs. Suddenly, the detective decides to play cowboy. "Oh, look who it is again," he says. "Thought you'd forgotten about us." Real charming. Then he starts grilling me about what's in the back seat. Apparently, since my dad is a beekeeper, he assumed I was hauling honey. I had a 10kg box of honey for my family in Washington, D.C., and this guy starts demanding "honey permits." I told him how ridiculous that was and asked where this behavior was headed. The detective actually ORDERED me to kill the engine and step out of the car. So, I did. It was raining, freezing cold, and I was dealing with inflamed gums and popping antibiotics. I asked if I could just wait in the car while they figured things out. He tells me, "YOU COULD BE ATTEMPTING TO FLEE." When I asked to sit in their cruiser instead, he just laughs in my face. Basically, he was trying to bait me into a fight so he could justify using force. I stood there in the rain for exactly one hour—from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM—until a patrol unit arrived from Savannah. The detective cheerfully announces: YOU ARE UNDER ARREST ON REASONABLE SUSPICION OF POSSESSING WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...then tells me to spread my legs and lean against their car. What a total joke. After checking my vitals and searching my phone, the arriving officers took me down to the station in Savannah. At least those guys were decent.
I waited in Savannah until 9:00 PM for a search warrant to arrive. Then, the same crew drives me back to the tunnel where, at 9:30 PM, the "top-tier professional police search" of my vehicle begins. The farce ends at 10:00 PM. I sign the report and am once again a FREE citizen of the USA.
The officers in Savannah mentioned I could file a FORMAL COMPLAINT if I wasn't happy with how they handled things.
I can't wrap my head around how a search warrant can be issued on a Sunday night. I have never touched a weapon or explosives in my life, nor do I have a criminal record.
Has anyone else dealt with something like this? Any advice?
I intend to file a FORMAL COMPLAINT against them. I'm sure the response will be: "Officers did not exceed their authority," so I’m thinking about suing next.
I'd like to hear from YOU too.
Last Sunday, I was driving from Carmel-by-the-Sea toward Washington, D.C. Just before hitting the Appalachian Mountains, I got pulled over. It was a routine stop—one young officer in uniform and a detective in plain clothes. Everything seemed fine until I handed over my docs. Suddenly, the detective decides to play cowboy. "Oh, look who it is again," he says. "Thought you'd forgotten about us." Real charming. Then he starts grilling me about what's in the back seat. Apparently, since my dad is a beekeeper, he assumed I was hauling honey. I had a 10kg box of honey for my family in Washington, D.C., and this guy starts demanding "honey permits." I told him how ridiculous that was and asked where this behavior was headed. The detective actually ORDERED me to kill the engine and step out of the car. So, I did. It was raining, freezing cold, and I was dealing with inflamed gums and popping antibiotics. I asked if I could just wait in the car while they figured things out. He tells me, "YOU COULD BE ATTEMPTING TO FLEE." When I asked to sit in their cruiser instead, he just laughs in my face. Basically, he was trying to bait me into a fight so he could justify using force. I stood there in the rain for exactly one hour—from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM—until a patrol unit arrived from Savannah. The detective cheerfully announces: YOU ARE UNDER ARREST ON REASONABLE SUSPICION OF POSSESSING WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...then tells me to spread my legs and lean against their car. What a total joke. After checking my vitals and searching my phone, the arriving officers took me down to the station in Savannah. At least those guys were decent.
I waited in Savannah until 9:00 PM for a search warrant to arrive. Then, the same crew drives me back to the tunnel where, at 9:30 PM, the "top-tier professional police search" of my vehicle begins. The farce ends at 10:00 PM. I sign the report and am once again a FREE citizen of the USA.
The officers in Savannah mentioned I could file a FORMAL COMPLAINT if I wasn't happy with how they handled things.
I can't wrap my head around how a search warrant can be issued on a Sunday night. I have never touched a weapon or explosives in my life, nor do I have a criminal record.
Has anyone else dealt with something like this? Any advice?
I intend to file a FORMAL COMPLAINT against them. I'm sure the response will be: "Officers did not exceed their authority," so I’m thinking about suing next.
I'd like to hear from YOU too.