by Hope
I think I’ve said this half a dozen times over the last few years.
“We plan and God laughs.”
While I thought I had my whole money plan figured out…and then I went to jail.
Okay, before your mind goes all over the place. It was just for one night. And the result of a “clerical” error. But it cost me a boatload of money. And will cost more in the coming months.
Because even thought it was NOT MY FAULT, I have to now pay a criminal lawyer to make sure the court knows that and the tickets I was given done stick.
The short version
On a Friday night, I went out to pick up Gymnast from work. And was pulled over for running a stop sign, or rather a rolling stop. Whatever. I don’t think I did that either. But ok.
When the state patrol ran my license, it came back as suspended. And evidently, in the state of Georgia, that’s a bondable offense, requiring him to take me to jail.
Gymnast had gotten someone to give him a ride to where I was pulled over. And I told the policeman, very nicely, that he was a licensed and insured driver and that I would go first thing on Monday and clear anything up. Nope.
He assured me, it would be quick…a couple of hours at most.
He handcuffed me and took me to the county jail.
The details
I had received a speeding ticket in the fall of 2019 (incorrect when first published as 2018). Paid it by check in February, 2020 (incorrect when first published as 2019) just as everything began shutting down due to COVID. And evidently, whomever processed my check, “mis-applied it” so it showed as my ticket wasn’t paid and they suspended my license in January, 2021.
As soon as I returned from jail, I was able to confirm the check was cashed. I called the county in question, she cleared it up quickly and said it would take a day or two for it to be clear in the system. The following day, I was able to go get my license back – after paying a $100 reinstatement fee.
However, I now have a running a stop sign ticket. Which can just be paid.
But I also have a driving on a suspended license. If convicted, I will lose my license for a minimum of 6 months, I’m told.
Court in March. A lawyer will cost $1,500. But after my dealings with the police and court system here in Georgia, I will not go this alone.
Jail was traumatizing
I will not go into the details of a night in jail. But it was terrible and scary and so many of my basic human rights, no to mention medical rights were violated.
They took my glasses and hearing aids soon as I got there (along with everything else I was wearing). I couldn’t see or hear anything except when they literally screamed at me.
I was put in a cell with no toilet for hours. Eventually needing a change of clothes (jail uniform) after they refused to let me get to a bathroom over the course of hours waiting.
I was not able to take my prescribed medication (missed two doses)…despite my sons both being there offering to bring it, have a doctor call, everything.
The couple of hours…booking and bonding out, ended up being a 12 hour nightmare. And they eventually let me go with no bond as an “apology”.
I am certainly not well versed on the normal operations of a jail. But I can say that if that’s how they operate…I fear for our country in a big way.
0/10 do not recommend the whole jail experience!
The cost
This is going to end up costing me upwards of $2,000 to fight the fees I had to pay for getting my license back, certified copies of the cashed check, etc. And evidently, the county who caused all this can not be held accountable.
It is very, very scary that a speeding ticket from three years ago can end up like this. With no record whatsoever, I was treated like I had committed the worst crime ever.And it’s even more scary that anyone going to jail is treated like that. Seriously, unless you are violent or acting up, no one should be treated like I was in jail.
So I’ve been recovering mentally. I definitely have a stress reaction to any siting of a police officer. The one who arrested me was nice enough, but he lied. And the one’s in the jail were just terrible, terrible people. Up until this incident, I was a staunch supporter of the police. After this, I question everything.
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Hope is a digital marketing manager and foster/adoptive single mom to five kids. She has run her own consulting company for over 15 years and took a leap of faith returning to the corporate world in 2021 to a job and team she loves! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally mastered the balance between family first and wise financial decisions.
