Such fun. NOT. Any way I finished the day and had a drink before dinner. After dinner instead of going right home I sat at the table and enjoyed another Scotch. In fact two of them and they were larger than usual. And they affected me. I think because I was dehydrated and tired the alcohol had more of an effect on me than I expected. To make a long story short I foolishly drove home and a block from my house I was pulled over by the police.
It was very foolish of me to drive and incredibly stupid but I was very fortunate that I made it as far as I did and that I did not cause an accident.
Being stopped and field tested for alcohol was not a good experience. With my lifter on my shoe to make up for the short leg after my ankle fusion operation and because we were on a hill I could not have walked a straight line if my life had depended on it. Needless to say I did not pass the test and I was handcuffed and put in the patrol car. They tried to put me in one but I did not fit so they had to use the other. I was very uncomfortable riding in such a small car. First they took me to the Ames Police Dept. I was allowed to call my nephew so he could go over and let Molly out. Then they transported me to the Story County Jail where I was booked, fingerprinted and thrown in jail. They wanted to take my shoes but if they had done that I would have fallen as I wear a brace and if I do not have the shoe on I fall because there was no traction.
I also cannot get up and down from low chairs because of my knees and when they wanted me to go in a cell with a thin mattress to put on a cement slab (together they were less than a foot off the ground). There was only one other person in the cell and he was sound asleep. Later there were two others placed in the cell with me. One of whom had just gotten out of jail for serving a 30 day sentence the day before, The other one was also just out and now back in. He was drunk and loud and kept yelling at a cute blond deputy wanting to know if he could F***K her. I just sat there. Eventually I had to get up so I could move because my legs were cramping. Someone had to come in and help me up. They could not just give me a hand or pull me up by my arms because of my rotators and arthritis so someone had to get behind me and lift me up by putting his arms under my armpits and literally lifting me up. I walked around and got the cramps out of my legs and this time they let me have a chair to sit in. Moulded plastic so it was not as bad.
The next morning (and no I did not sleep) I had Cheerios (rather than Frosted flakes) O.J. and milk because of my diabetes. I was then taken into a small room where a Judge on a TV gave me a preliminary hearing and I was released. They had taken my cell phone and it was dead so I could not call my nephew to come get me as I did not know his number so I called another friend to come and get me. He graciously skipped church and took me to get my car back. They had taken my driver's license and I had a piece of paper which said I could drive for 10 days,
There is a lot more I could tell but I will just run down the costs that go along with this,
- Evaluation $125.00 This was to see if I was in danger of drinking and driving again. I passed.
- Class $115.00 - This was for Drinking and Driving. I passed but I don't see how you could not pass. It was really a waste of time. Should have been much better, Somebody has a racket going to teach this class.
- Lawyer $500.00 - I asked a Lodge Brother to help with this. He basically helped me with the process and it was fine but really the day I went to court there were 5 others there on the same or similar charges and none of them had a lawyer and everything was so cut and dried (I felt like we were on an assembly line) that I probably would not have had to have one.
- Fine $1,350.00 - This would have been cut in half ($1250 plus costs) if I had gotten a temporary license but that would only have allowed me to drive to work and back and since I do not work and I would have had to rent a breath machine for my car (cost $65 to install and $50 a month for 6 months to rent plus $250 for the license it wasn't going to be worth it. I would not even have been able to drive to the grocery store or to meetings) So I just paid the fine.
- Probation $300.00 - this is what I have to pay to the Center for Creative Justice to go and meet with a probation officer once a month.
- License Renewal $250.00 - This is what it will cost me when I get my license back in March
- Car Insurance $650.00 x3 years - The x3 is the three years I will have to carry the insurance because of the drunk driving conviction. That is only the extra it costs me.
Total is $4,590.00
That plus the $4000 I have to pay for my teeth makes it a poor Jay for awhile.
You might be interested in the conditions of the probation. They are:
conditions of this probation, the defendant shall:
a. Obey all laws.
b. Completely abstain from the use of alcohol and shall submit to such testing
as may be required to assure compliance with this condition.
c. Obtain a substance abuse evaluation and comply with any recommended
treatment.
d. Enroll in and successfully complete a course for drinking drivers facilitated
by an area community college.
e. Not enter any business establishment which secures more than fifty percent
of their business from the sale of alcohol.
f. Pay a probationary supervision fee in a manner determined appropriate by
the probationary supervisor.
g. In all other respects cooperate with the probationary supervisor.
h. Contact the probationary supervisor within ten days of the filing date of the
Court’s order to arrange for probationary supervision.
I also may not drive for 6 months. I put off losing the license for 30 days but eventually I lost it. They gave me a date when I could get it back. As it turns out it is in March but the date is a Saturday when the time is up. The license station is not open on Sunday or Monday so I will have to wait until Tuesday to get it back. I then will be on probation with them for a couple of years and will have to be very careful not to get a ticket. So in the meantime I am going to be dependent on others to help me get things from the grocery store and I will be "at home" most of the time. Feel free to drop by (but warn me if you are coming so I can be sure to get dressed) - I have already cleaned the office and the spare room. My bedroom and the hall closet are also on the agenda. If I start cleaning the drawers and organizing things I am in real trouble. Thanks for listening. I needed to get that off my chest. Hugs, j
2 comments:
Sorry you had that experience. I wish I could say I'd never driven when I shouldn't have but I am sure I have.
As you say, the silver lining is you did not get into an accident where there was property damage or where you are anyone else was injured.
Someone told me about this entry, so I came a looking. I hope writing it was purging; what a story.
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