Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests FREAKY odds, cops involved!

Okay, so. Those that are interested in hearing something that has one in a million odds, listen up. Those that aren't, hit that little back arrow up top, okay?



I was heading home in my white work van (E250) and all day long my alternator had been flaking, floating at lower speeds. It hadn't been charging in a LONG while now, so I pulled off the 2-lane highway to see if I could tap it with a wrench or something to get it charging enough to make it the rest of the hour and half home.

I pulled off the highway, and went down the road I pulled on to about 1/10 of a mile, to the first little opening/dirt area I could find. I fixed the alternator (temporarily) and got back in the van, started to pull out and all of a sudden a cop comes sliding in front of me, face to face, blocking my van.

I was startled, and rolled the window down, to which I was asked to exit the van. I exited and he asked me why I was where I was. I explained the alternator situation, and he looked in my cab, saw the battery guage full (charging, now that I tapped it) and said.. "yup.. another lie."


I then proceeded to tell me that I had just passed him doing 85 in a 55 construction zone, SAW him turn on his lights, and then SPED UP to EVADE him. I then turned in to this neighborhood and HID from him?? I was SO confused. He told me a was playinghim for a fool to say that I didn't do those things.

He asked me what the odds were of a white van passing him, then he finds me, and I WAS originally headed the same direction. I told him the odds would be low, but I DIDN'T do it.

He then tells me I am getting a ticket for it, and I am lucky not to go to jail for evasion. Not two minutes later, a WHITE VAN comes out from the VERY ROAD I was pulled off at, creeps forward and starts to leave the neighborhood entrance.

I was like.. WTF? NO WAY! WHAT ARE the odds.

I was and am still really in awe at what happened.. I got the license number and decription of the suspect van that WAS evading him, but I don't know what good it will do, NOW.

Anyway.. what are the odds, huh?

You should have asked him why you were hiding in plain view.

Well if it's anything like up here, someone in the work site got the license plate #, so hopefully they'll realize it's not you. I know every time someone runs my stop sign I have to get the license plate # and give it to my foreman who turns it into the state police. Good luck.

Damn, good luck Ray, hopefully they toss your ticket. Maybe if the alternator is really on its way out you can garner some type of proof/evidence there.

Just seems like a crappy situation all around...wrong place at the wrong time...

Absolutely for sure go to court for this one.

This should be fun to follow. Only for our sake. Sorry Ray. I don't know how a cop can get away with this. A million white windowless vans in this country.

Sucks. All you have to do though is go to court and tell the judge it wasn't you, that the officer came across you as the first white van he could find, that there are many white vans, including the one that passed you; and at this point you ask the judge to throw it out based on the fact that the officer admittedly lost sight of the target vehicle and therefore he has no direct link that it could be you. If you ask the right questions then just his testimony may be enough to cause the judge to see that he was grasping at straws when he found you. On the other hand it could esily go against you.

I tell you, I was once given a ticket in absentia. I sold a car to a lousy azzed buddy of mine(former) but I didn't send in the little paper after I signed over the title.
He got a ticket 40 miles north of Tucson AZ and told the cop he had left his license at home. Then he signed my name to the ticket in his handwriting, gave his own social security number but with the last digit off.
I got a letter in the mail and I went to court. I told the judge I sold the car, told her I lost the bill of sale (at that time I was trying not to admit I knew the guy I sold it to) and didn't remember the name as it had been over six months, and brought in my time slip from work showing I was at work close to the same time as the ticket so that it was unlikely it was me.
The cop came up to me when I walked into the courtroom and spoke to me like it was me...and when I told him I didn't know who he was he had an attitude. I even told the judge to look at the handwriting difference from the ticket and from my response...the dckhead cop was like "it looks the same to me". So I suggested that the cop should have made sure then that he had some sort of ID when he wrote the ticket. Fortunately the judge deliberated and dropped the ticket.

Anway, it sucks and be carefull it doesn't go against you if you don't make sure the cop alludes to the fact that he lost sight of you, even if he doesn't admit it. Make the judge see that he accused you of evasion because he must have lost sight of the suspect. Therefore he couldn't be absolutely sure and therefore it should be dropped.
Unfortunately if you don't have a really convincing argument or the cop pulls a stupid move, then the judge will side with them EVERY time just to show solidarity with the cops against the criminals.
REMEBER: If he wrote it as a civil ticket then you can be found guilty if the judge just believes the cops story over yours...preponderance of the evidence. You'd have almost been better off if he HAD arrested you in that it would have to be a criminal citation where you would have to be innocent until PROVEN guilty. Big difference as the first ticket can be ruled on the judges opinion while the other has to be a proven fact. Which explains why most cops will write you a ticket as a CIVIL traffic ticket instead of criminal, and then tell you that like they are doing you a favor or something.

i wish you the best of luck with the situation ray