Expert: Jack Toomey - 10/2/2006

Question
Past couple of nights our sheriff/constables had traffic stings going on. People getting pulled over at random everywhere many patrol officers involved. I got pulled over and he tells me my tail light was out, I wasn't aware of that, okay. Asks for license and insurance, hand him that everything okay. Next thing I have a tow truck pulling up to my truck. He tells me I have a warrant in a town next to the one I was in. I haven't had a ticket in years and the one I had I had taken care of. That was the only ticket I ever knew of in years.  I got out of the car he handcuffed me and put me in the backseat he FLEW and I mean well over the speed limit to the temporary command post they had up at a church.  I didn't see that it was an emergency to get me to the command post other than he wanted to get me dropped off and back into the action again to bust someone else. The town my warrant is in the officer showed up to get me to transport me.  He again asks if I know what my warrant is I told him I didn't have a clue. I got in the vehicle and he asks if I get car sick. I said no. Again he FLEW 10 miles to the next town, running redlights passing people up in the middle turning lane turning on his lights to get them out of the way.. well up to 100mph and higher, at one point it was 110.  I have 3 kids and I feel that it was VERY unnecessary to go THAT fast just to transport me for a warrant when there was no emergency.  Now I found out I evidently came up $10 short somehow on paying on the ticket I was paying on 4 years ago!  I had to show up in person to pay them, I was moving to Dallas and I told the lady I needed at the city hall I needed to pay it off I was moving out of town and I paid it and she told me I was done free and clear thank you for taking care of the ticket etc.  So now I had to pay $190 for $10 I did NOT know I was arrested for. Had never any notice that I had a warrant out even when getting license renewed.  My truck was impounded and torn through for a search and I had small kids at home ages 10-15 waiting on me at home and I had no way of reaching of them and no one cared!  What aggravates me the most is that I was transported at a rediculous speed for no reason..it was NO emergency.  Is there anything I can do?

Answer
Beth,

   It seems that you are using this forum for a complaint board against the police.  Ninety per cent of your story involves the actions of the police who have absolutely nothing to do with the old warrant against you.  So I can't figure out if you are upset at the police or because the old warrant surfaced at inopportune time.  

   If you have complaints about the actions of the police then surely they have an Internal Affairs unit or whatever they call it in your state.  If you believe that the warrant was null and void and you were arrested for no reason then the clerk of the court is the person to start with.