Hot Rods Have you gone to jail because of your car?

Yep--put on here before. 1960-drag racing a guy in a 58 Vette from Merced with my 57 Pontiac. CHP were on to us. Roadblock, 5 days in the can, orange jumpsuit, haircut and a restricted license for 6 months saying I could only drive between home and College on Friday and Sunday. Still street raced too but was never caught again-young and dumb! Insurance went sky high after that for a few yrs. Never locked up since.
This is the short version-long version includes lots of charges!

 

Damn! You coulda sang with Merle Haggard...

 

I've been on jury duty and sent some drivers to jail.

 

In one of my HAMB-friendly cars... not yet....

 

Yes,yes I have.

 

Had a buddy stopped for going 56 in a 55 zone, also for open headers, tires protruding past the wheel wells, and a few other things I have forgotten. He went to court, pled not guilty and won.

 

Yes. My 1965 Mustang. Columbus, Ohio. 1981
My mustang dropped the muffler as I was going over the rail road tracks on Frank Rd. I didn't put it back on yet because it was still hot so I tossed it into the trunk and a couple of miles later 40T (Sheriff) pulled me over for loud exhaust/no muffler.

After I let it cool down, I slipped the muffler back on and drove to the inspection station and got the fix it ticket signed off and all with in the hour of getting the fix it ticket.

A year later, some guy t-boned me while I was driving my father in law's car. I was arrested on the spot for a failure to appear due to the fix it ticket. Spent the night in Franklin County jail. Went to court the following morning. Lucky for me, the judge had proof of the fix it ticket being signed off in front of him. I questioned as to why it went warrant and not one person could give me an answer.

 

Drag racing in Daytona Bike Week. 91 in a 45 with a hand jammer . Nothing else to say . Not drinking reduced next day to 61 in a 45 , $127.50 and out of there .

 

Got "cuffed" to a door handle once.......wasn't my fault- I swear! Buddie got the rap, I got shit!, but- didn't go to jail!

 

I've never been arrested.... I'm knocking on wood as I'm typing this.....

 

Now you've gone and dug up ancient history, and lit my fuse, that can only result in a major critical mass event. 1967, I had just finished converting my 56, 210 Delray Chevrolet to a stick from a Powerglide. Was on the way to a welding shop to have the pivot ball welded to the frame, and NOT doing anything wrong, seriously, I had to slick-shift the trans without a clutch, and was't about to do anything. Now, after the pivot ball had been welded on, I'd planned on seriously testing out the new manual shift combination. Of course, a SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY pulls me over, and starts giving me all kinds of cr*p, even tells me to get out of the car. This was when they used to still wear helmets IN THE PATROL CARS! He's poking his index finger in my chest, yelling in my face, and his breath smells like he knows his partner a little too well (besides the helmets, they used to be two in a car). Typical behavior of this law enforcement agency to this day, in fact, the current Sheriff's Office, Sheriff's position election, is between two chimpanzes throwing cr*p at one another; now those are two real, honest, quality men! Anyway, this deputy just won't quit, he wants to write me up for everything he can possibly think up; keeps threatening me, and working himself up. Finally, I had enough of this ideopathic moron, and I told him I'd been saving up for a NEW car, had close to $5000.00 in my bank account, but I'd instead use the money to sue his *ss, and the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, and that I would't stop until I had his law enforcement certificate on my bathroom wall, waiting to wipe my *ss with it. AND, that my Father, the attorney, would be backing me up 100% (truth is he was still in the USAF at Paine Field AFB). But really, I was absolutely terrified I was going to go to jail, but the F'n, fat, punk, backed right down, said I needed to get new mufflers (they were new header mufflers), and to "have a nice day". Told him to have a nice F'n day too, go home to your fat *ssed, ugly wife, and choke down another of her dinners to add to your already fat *ss. YES, I was p*ssed, and if I'd had a gun, I'd probably still be in prison. This is the absolute worst law enforcement agency in this state; just go online and have a look at all the legal cases they have lost, and the costs this county has paid out in multi-millions of dollars settlements (they never even make it to court). Up until that time, I had a reasonable level of respect for law enforcement; that day changed everything for me to this day in how I feel about cops. And please don't say it was ONLY this one cop; refer back to the lawsuits. I have NEVER had a cop actually "help" me; they've always been pompous, self absorbed, major rectal prolapses. To say I truly hate cops is the biggest understatement on the planet. Many years later, I'm an X-Ray/CAT Scan Tech, on-call for my hospital; when you're on-call for CAT Scan, you get called out all night long. Back and forth between home and the hospital; if you don't leave the hospital, they don't pay you on-call, or "within 3 hour call-ins". Several times, over the years, I get stopped for "driving back and forth", "during the middle of the night". Do you think they believe I'm actually on-call for the hospital like I say? NONE of them would just call the E.R. to confirm what I'm telling them; they'd rather try and work up a possible DUI arrest, while the real DUI's drive by, and honk their horns at them. I had some fellow students, some real "sickos", in high school; bullies, junkies, drunks, rapists, including a family of 4 boys, three of whom became cops; that psychological exam must be awfully easy to pass, and none of them should have ever been considered for LE! The only one who did't become a cop, has NEVER held down a job, and has been on state assistance most of his adult life. I won't even go into what I saw in my working career that involved cops, their harassment of nurses, and mistreating patients. Sorry to rattle on, but you really struck a nerve here. You don't do a root canal without anesthesia, and use a 9/16" drill bit on a hand brace. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

3 times

1) 16 years old, Drunk driving, 2am on a PERMIT. Dad was pissed. left me in jail until the next morning.

2) Worst week of my life. My girlfriend breaks up with me. My car gets stolen out side of a local bar. I go to the Police Station to report my stolen car...and get arrested on a warrant for old traffic tickets. Had to call my boss for a 2 week advance on my pay to pay off the tickets. Police did find my car and got it back a couple weeks later. AND reconciled with the girlfriend...been married to her for 37 years

3) See the "Sacramento idiot" thread

 

If they had caught me, I most certainly would have...

 

No, but back in my drink'n days...mid 60s, i let my buddy drive my 58 Vette cause i thot i had too much beer. Turned out he was the drunk & rear ended a 65 Poncho in a panic stop. They didn't bust him cause he knew the Deputy on the scene......took 3 months in the body shop.

 

Never been in trouble because of a car...
Now the bikes are a different story.

 

If you'd titled it "should you have gone to jail because of your car ", I would have to say only about 500 times. In fact, reading this thread makes me want to go straight to the police station, confess to every moving felony possible in the late 60s and 70s, and offer to go to Death Row immediately. My car involved crimes include bad things not usually associated with cars.
Damn the OP for bringing suppressed memories to the surface. Won't sleep tonight. On second thought, I think I'll go barricade the front door now, and check my ammo.

 

Got out of a long-term relationship, decided to drown my sorrows in gasoline and bought an OT childhood dream car of mine before they got expensive. I was driving aggressively, exploring some backroads near my house, when I took a wrong turn into a town notorious for supplementing their tax revenue with some good old fashioned road piracy.

As soon as the 55 MPH road turned into a 35 MPH road, I stabbed the brakes, because I had an idea of where I was. Unfortunately, there was a two-tone Crown Victoria posted up just past that same sign. Now, my car has some truly spectacular brakes, but they're not quite good enough to outdo an overeager deputy with a radar gun.

As soon as I saw the cop I slowed down and pulled off to the side - I knew I was done for. The cop walks up, and it's the same one who's pulled me over in two of my other cars for different non-offenses. He takes my license and registration, and thinks he finally has me nailed for something.

After what feels like an eternity, he comes back and says I'm free to go with a warning - with a catch. He tells me that he better not see my car in his town for the rest of the year, and if he does, he's going to get me for my loud exhaust, ride height, and anything else he can write me up for.

I drive out of town and stop at a gas station to calm my nerves for a bit. When I look at my phone, there's a text message from the guitarist/lead singer of my old punk band, asking me what the hell was wrong with me, and telling me to slow down. It turns out that he was the dispatcher, and he got me out of a mother of a ticket. Yeah, he got a lot of free beer from me for that one.

As it turns out, I met the love of my life later that same year - anyone want to guess where she lived? Yeah. That same one-horse town, right off the main drag, less than a mile from the police station.

 

Yes...butt who was behind the wheel....a bigger butt ?

 

Almost,
Fall of 1966, just before I was drafted, me and a buddy were in my 1955 Chevy. We were at one of the local burger joints on a Sunday afternoon and were about leave. I had just had a new dual exhaust setup with Corvair turbo mufflers Installed a day or 2 before. My 348 was really sounding nice,solid lifters and all. I looked to my left, saw just the front end of a white ‘65 Plymouth . Put her in 1st. gear of my hurst shifted 3-speed (3rd, one in 10 months.). Let my left foot slide off the clutch while right foot mashed the gas to the floor. Left the parking lot smoking my 8:00x15 rear bias ply white walls, swerving over center line of road. Straightened up and caught 2nd gear with a nice chirp. Had to stop for red light, looking in rear view mirror at flashing red lights w/siren blaring. I pulled into corner svc. station and shut engine off, you know the drill, license,registration,ect. He told me to open the hood. My buddy spoke up saying “You Don’t Have to Open your Hood”. Cop yelled he would arrest us both if I didn’t. Well I did, he said he could write me up for an “Illegal Engine”. He did, and wrote me also for Reckless Driving. Judge dropped illegal engine citation but fined me $250.00 for reckless driving. Did not take my license????????. Long story short, if you see a vehicle down the road. Make sure what it is before dumping the clutch.

 

Not yet

 

@OLSKOOL57 $250 wasn't exactly chump change in '66, was it?

 

Commandment 11.
Thou shall not incriminate thy self.

 

Well, it wasn't "MY" car so...no.

 

Put me in the "Should have, but didn't" camp.
Lets say that working in that gas station for 7 years and getting to know a lot of local cops on a first name basis (city, county, and state cops) may have been beneficial for me on one or more occasions. Dumb luck was also helpful. Being polite whenever I got stopped probably also helped. I may have done the "driver retraining class" on more then one occasion, to reduce "my financial contribution to local law enforcement" count. I did not ever spend any time behind bars.

I have however posted bail for several friends that were unfortunate enough to have been caught exhibiting inappropriate driving techniques. Gene

 

Your story reminded me of an incident that happened while on a conversion course in the early 70s. My buddy and I were out drinking too much. It was very late at night, he was driving, and we were on our way back home.
While stopped at a light on the 4 lane, a clapped out old Valiant with no muffler and occupied by two real dudes, pulled up and stopped beside us in the next lane. Pete looked over at them, laughed, and started making a lot of stupid, but hilarious, comments to me about those guys being corn burners, and that he should blow them off just to teach them a lesson. I was in the middle of attempting to calm him down, but the next thing I knew, he loaded up the converter and blew the light. What neither of us knew, was that there was a cop right behind the other car and they were probably about to pull it over, but instead, the cop flipped on the lights and came after us.
Pete pulled over, and I can't remember the conversation, but Pete handled the situation better than I thought would be possible for him. After checking the license, registration and all that, (we were in northern Quebec, and the car had Texas plates) , the cop eventually walked back and gave Pete a thorough dressing down, telling him that he could have gone to jail and ruined his career. Then he let us go, without even a ticket or a warning.
The worst part of the whole incident, was watching the two clowns drive by us with ear to ear grins on their kissers.
For years, I teased the hell out of him about the incident.
It was our lucky night, I really don't know how we could have been so fortunate.
Bob

 

Damn near broke me. Emptied savings account, that I had from my job at Newport News Shipyard.

 

No, but should have multiple times. Pretty sure I had a death wish when I was young and driving hot rods was not a good thing on top of that. Me and most of my buddies were into street racing pretty heavily and really didn’t care where or when we did it at times. Add alcohol on top of that most evenings, and it is only by God’s grace that I didn’t end up in the slammer multiple times. I even got caught trying to outrun a sherrif’s deputy on the highway once. I only tried it because I had done it multiple times before with success. Thankfully, the deputy was a guy I went to high school with and he let me off. I look back on all that today and know it had to be God looking out for me, because I sure wasn’t.

 

Well it looks like Hotrodjack33 and I tie for the top honors of being a hot rod hoodlum at three apiece. In Muskogee back in the day, if you got caught drag racing and lived out side the city limits, you went to jail! Inside the city limits you could post your driver’s license. I lived 15 miles out!




Bones

 

In the middle of moving stuff to a new apartment. Taillight out in o.t. car. Pulled over and sent to jail for an item on the rear floor. 16 hours of jail hell for a family heirloom.

 

We don’t have to worry about that anymore here in Oklahoma, we now have constitutional carry. So I guess that would extend to a vehicle. Even though I’m pro gun, the thought of ever Tom, Dick and Harry being able to openly carry a gun....... scares the shit out of me!






Bones