Unlicensed Drivers Get Breaks From Courts
Fines Cheaper Than Costs To Regain License
POSTED: 2:56 pm CDT May 17,
2007
UPDATED: 7:48 pm CDT May 17,
2007
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- An I-Team investigation shows why some unlicensed drivers keep getting behind the wheel.
Video: Repeat Drivers License Offenders Have Charge DismissedTwo women profiled in an unlicensened drivers hidden camera investigation had both been caught before driving without a license.The women had pleaded guilty in court and both were found behind the wheel again by the I-Team.Latoya Taylor paid a fine in court and was soon seen driving again by the I-Team.Deanna Derix paid her $50 fine, then she was spotted by the I-Team getting behind the wheel of the same car she'd been arrested for driving.The I-Team has learned that both women had been arrested before for driving without a license.Taylor had been arrested in 2004 and in 2006."The court date you saw was her third offense of driving on a revoked or suspended drivers license,” said Metro traffic police Sgt. Jeff Keeter.But Taylor's offenses are not found on her state driving record because each time she got a break. The charges were dismissed on the condition she pay the court costs, but according to records, she never did.The same thing happened the first time Derix was arrested for driving on a suspended license in 2006.Her case was also dismissed, as long as she paid her court costs. Court records show she never paid court costs or her six Metro traffic tickets."From her history that I ran yesterday, she has still yet to satisfy any of the six citations she received in this jurisdiction,” Keeter said.Some said there's no real incentive to get a license back.Offenders have to pay thousands of dollars in fines and fees to get their license back. But instead of doing that, every time they get caught, it's only a $25 or $50 fine.Keeter said with fines being so low, defendants are willing to roll the dice and risk getting caught again.So is jail time the answer?That's where the courts said they are caught between a rock and a hard place.Metro police arrested 25,000 people for driving without a license last year and said that putting them all in jail would clog the system.
Video: Repeat Drivers License Offenders Have Charge DismissedTwo women profiled in an unlicensened drivers hidden camera investigation had both been caught before driving without a license.The women had pleaded guilty in court and both were found behind the wheel again by the I-Team.Latoya Taylor paid a fine in court and was soon seen driving again by the I-Team.Deanna Derix paid her $50 fine, then she was spotted by the I-Team getting behind the wheel of the same car she'd been arrested for driving.The I-Team has learned that both women had been arrested before for driving without a license.Taylor had been arrested in 2004 and in 2006."The court date you saw was her third offense of driving on a revoked or suspended drivers license,” said Metro traffic police Sgt. Jeff Keeter.But Taylor's offenses are not found on her state driving record because each time she got a break. The charges were dismissed on the condition she pay the court costs, but according to records, she never did.The same thing happened the first time Derix was arrested for driving on a suspended license in 2006.Her case was also dismissed, as long as she paid her court costs. Court records show she never paid court costs or her six Metro traffic tickets."From her history that I ran yesterday, she has still yet to satisfy any of the six citations she received in this jurisdiction,” Keeter said.Some said there's no real incentive to get a license back.Offenders have to pay thousands of dollars in fines and fees to get their license back. But instead of doing that, every time they get caught, it's only a $25 or $50 fine.Keeter said with fines being so low, defendants are willing to roll the dice and risk getting caught again.So is jail time the answer?That's where the courts said they are caught between a rock and a hard place.Metro police arrested 25,000 people for driving without a license last year and said that putting them all in jail would clog the system. Previous Stories:
- May 16, 2007: Bill Caps Driver's License Reinstatement Fees
- May 4, 2007: Drivers Without Licenses May Face Judge
- May 3, 2007: I-Team Spots Drivers Without Licenses
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