nineten
03-30-2008, 03:55 PM
Sometimes helping others can get ourselves into trouble as it almost did with these two young boys w/o a license.
I wanted to talk here about two young boys that were helping out a guy, a guy they really weren't well acquainted with and they themselves were questioned. The police officer was really a nice one, forturnately. In Florida it seems to be more laxed (except for the info on the thread about Florida's Lake Cnty thread posted in current events) but one never knows what to expect when there's an incident that we don't anticipate happening when out driving w/o a license. I pulled up to a check cashing center and noticed a Hispanic man in the back of a police car and also two young boys standing next to their vehicle a few cars away from the police car. I wasn't being nosy, just caring, and asked the boys if all was okay.
The boys explained that they only gave the guy a ride to come and cash a check or whatever the guy told them. Something went awry in the check cashing store and the store called the police on the guy that had gone in to make his transaction.
The boys were from an area that I'd just come from so we began chatting. During the conversation I asked him if he had a license or any i.d. on him or his buddy. Neither had either. I told them that if the officer questions them that I will say we'll have somebody come and get the vehicle, if we were given that option.
The boys said the officer wouldn't discuss the details with them but they had told the officer that they didn't really know the guy and were just helping him out and they had no idea of what the guy was planning to do if there was illegal intent on his part.
The officer was on his phone for fifteen minutes or more and finally when he walked up he asked me what I had in my hands (which were some of my personal papers) and I told him it was personal business. He said okay. He then told the boys to relax because he could tell they were tense. He said the man that was arrested admitted that the boys had no part in this scenario. The boys were quite scared.
He then asked if we all knew each other and we agreed that we did. Then he asked the boys if they had a license, one stating that he was a student. They both said no. He asked if they had a social security card and they both said no meaning that they had no i.d. on them whatsoever. He looked at the boy and politely said, "You shouldn't be driving without a license."
The officer then pulled out a camera with a bright flash and took a photo of each boy. He said that he wasn't sure that the man would be taken to jail or not becasue there were some discrepancies about the nature of the call and what he had done but didn't elaborate on it.
He then told the boys that they were free to go.
The boys and I chatted for a few minutes and discussed the fact that if one keeps driving to places unnecessarily that sooner or later something is going to happen. They were only trying to help the guy out but what if they were in the wrong area of town, another county in Florida, or elsewhere and this happened. I told them that the next time somebody asks or pressures them to driving somewhere they can have an 'out' by relaying this story and their encounter with the police and firmly but politely say no to the request. I think the officer was preoccupied with the guy in the police car and especially not knowing whether he was going to take him in or not probably helped the boys to not be questioned further or taken in as well.....and he was a nice officer and who knows which type of officer you'll meet up with next time. After I conducted my business in the store and exited, I asked told the officer that I was from the area where the man was from and if he wasn't going to charge him that I would be happy to take him back. The officer was polite and said if that be the case that he would make certain he returned home. (I've no clue as to what happened to the man.)
They agreed that they should limit their driving to only the places they needed to go.
They both thanked me and gave me a hug which was nice. I only hope the boy that was driving will remember that night and realize that it's best to not go anywhere you don't need to go.
I personally think that one main reason people with no license get stopped is because sometimes they drive more than they really need to. I tell everybody to check their tailights, plate light, etc. before they drive just to be sure they're operable and to use signals even when changing lanes, etc. Good driving habits have to be used by somebody w/o a license more so than us that do have one.
One never knows what and when something can occur.
I wanted to talk here about two young boys that were helping out a guy, a guy they really weren't well acquainted with and they themselves were questioned. The police officer was really a nice one, forturnately. In Florida it seems to be more laxed (except for the info on the thread about Florida's Lake Cnty thread posted in current events) but one never knows what to expect when there's an incident that we don't anticipate happening when out driving w/o a license. I pulled up to a check cashing center and noticed a Hispanic man in the back of a police car and also two young boys standing next to their vehicle a few cars away from the police car. I wasn't being nosy, just caring, and asked the boys if all was okay.
The boys explained that they only gave the guy a ride to come and cash a check or whatever the guy told them. Something went awry in the check cashing store and the store called the police on the guy that had gone in to make his transaction.
The boys were from an area that I'd just come from so we began chatting. During the conversation I asked him if he had a license or any i.d. on him or his buddy. Neither had either. I told them that if the officer questions them that I will say we'll have somebody come and get the vehicle, if we were given that option.
The boys said the officer wouldn't discuss the details with them but they had told the officer that they didn't really know the guy and were just helping him out and they had no idea of what the guy was planning to do if there was illegal intent on his part.
The officer was on his phone for fifteen minutes or more and finally when he walked up he asked me what I had in my hands (which were some of my personal papers) and I told him it was personal business. He said okay. He then told the boys to relax because he could tell they were tense. He said the man that was arrested admitted that the boys had no part in this scenario. The boys were quite scared.
He then asked if we all knew each other and we agreed that we did. Then he asked the boys if they had a license, one stating that he was a student. They both said no. He asked if they had a social security card and they both said no meaning that they had no i.d. on them whatsoever. He looked at the boy and politely said, "You shouldn't be driving without a license."
The officer then pulled out a camera with a bright flash and took a photo of each boy. He said that he wasn't sure that the man would be taken to jail or not becasue there were some discrepancies about the nature of the call and what he had done but didn't elaborate on it.
He then told the boys that they were free to go.
The boys and I chatted for a few minutes and discussed the fact that if one keeps driving to places unnecessarily that sooner or later something is going to happen. They were only trying to help the guy out but what if they were in the wrong area of town, another county in Florida, or elsewhere and this happened. I told them that the next time somebody asks or pressures them to driving somewhere they can have an 'out' by relaying this story and their encounter with the police and firmly but politely say no to the request. I think the officer was preoccupied with the guy in the police car and especially not knowing whether he was going to take him in or not probably helped the boys to not be questioned further or taken in as well.....and he was a nice officer and who knows which type of officer you'll meet up with next time. After I conducted my business in the store and exited, I asked told the officer that I was from the area where the man was from and if he wasn't going to charge him that I would be happy to take him back. The officer was polite and said if that be the case that he would make certain he returned home. (I've no clue as to what happened to the man.)
They agreed that they should limit their driving to only the places they needed to go.
They both thanked me and gave me a hug which was nice. I only hope the boy that was driving will remember that night and realize that it's best to not go anywhere you don't need to go.
I personally think that one main reason people with no license get stopped is because sometimes they drive more than they really need to. I tell everybody to check their tailights, plate light, etc. before they drive just to be sure they're operable and to use signals even when changing lanes, etc. Good driving habits have to be used by somebody w/o a license more so than us that do have one.
One never knows what and when something can occur.