Accused of something you didn't do?

[Jeff H]

I was heading home today around noon. I had the cruise set for 55. Wich is the speed limit. We have a section of passing lanes in between towns. Well I had a few people behind me wanting to pass. Only bad thing is the I need to be in the left lane to get off on the road I take home. So they passed me on the right. At the same time I met the sheriff. Well I didn't think nothing of it. When I turn off on the road to head home. Wich is a gravel road. The sheriif is comes flying up from behind with lights all flashing.

So I pull over. Give him my license and insurance. Then I asked what did I do. He said you were speeding. I told him I was NOT speeding. Then I told him why didn't you pull the vehicles that passed me. He wouldn't answer my question "are you sure it was me and not the other guy"? He just gives me my licence back and tells me to drive safely. This his the first time I had argued with the sherif. But I think he was thinking he may have made an error?

The sheriff told that we were doing a saturation patrol. Four cruisers watching a 10 mile stretch of hiway. Its the kinda hiway where people drive like its a interstate freeway.

 

[Cowboy Medic]

Well, one thing you need to understand about radar, if you have two vehicles sitting side by side running down the road, The radar can tell you the speed based on the radar signal being bounced back, but it isn't selective. Typically it will read the largest return which means the largest vehicle. For example if a corvette and my truck are side by side at the instant the radar scans us, and I am doing 65 and the corvette is doing 95, there is a very good chance that the radar will get a reading of 65mph, also the same can happen if I am next to a semi and the semi is doing 95 and I am doing 65 then it would be the 95 that is most likely to be shown on the radar. Occasionally it can happen the opposite though if the angles are just right or for some reason the reflected radar signal is more focussed off the smaller vehicle. Since you were in the passing lane he may have had an over the speed limit reading, and seeing you in the passing lane, made the assumption that you were the faster vehicle. In that situation there is easily some reasonable dobt, and since you were inclined to argue it, he may have felt it wasn't worth writing the ticket since it would be very unlikely that you would have to pay if you took it to court.



Laser on the other hand is very specific, you aim it at the specific vehicle you want to record a speed for and that is the one you will get a speed indication for.

 

[The patriot]

I was one time.

I was driving my tractor trailer, and was stopped at a stop sign one vehicle back.

When the vehicle in front of me went, it was clear so I did too.

A police car was coming up on the road on the left side about 600 ft away in a 35 MPH zone.

Rookie cop did a 180 and gave me a ticket. I forget what for, this was about 15 years ago.

I went to court and the officer seemed to never been at court. The judge had to "correct" everything he said.

Judge: How far away from you was the truck when he pulled out.

Rookie: 35 feet.

Judge: You were going 35 MPH and he was 35 feet from you when you pulled out?

R: Uhhhh Ummmmm uhhhhhhh... ...

Judge: was he maybe 100 feet from you???

R: Ummmm yea uhhh 100 feet I guess.

Judge: (looks to me) Youre guilty, fine is $$$$ dollars, court costs etc. etc. etc.



I was pizzed, but I learned something.

Never think that the truth will help you.

Eric

 

[GFrance]

It's all about the $$$. I was in the fast lane with my tanker, moved over to let a dozen cars on the freeway. I had the cruise set at 55 I heard on the cb that a cop was sitting across the freeway on the other side with radar. I couldn't get back into the right lane right away & traffic was speeding by me on the right. I got nailed for 68 mph. Told the cop the situation, he handed me the ticket & said have a nice day. :-{}



In 30yrs of driving truck I've had 3 moving violations. I guess thats not too bad for the miles I've covered.

 

[scootergmc]

I had the same thing happen to me, except it was on a very twisty two lane coming down a canyon towards a river. A CHP, forest service cop, and a dep. sheriff were BSing at the turnout on the river. Oh, yeah, I was on my motorcycle (Honda RC51, aftermarket pipes- over 100 db) in first gear at approx 50 mph. I saw them and they saw me (the first opportunity for visual contact) as I rounded the last corner approx 500 feet from their location. I didn't slow down, as I wasn't breaking the speed limit. We drove right past them and watched them scamper like cockroaches to their rigs... . We pulled over at the next turnout which was about 1 mile down the road. CHP gets out and yells at us (my buddy was with me on his bike), "you guys were speeding@!@!@!" My superfast, yelling, enraged reply was, "NO I WASN'T. " He then goes on to yell at me for like 5 minutes about how he has been estimating speed for 27 years, I responded to ___ motorcycle accidents on this road last year, you can't outrun a helicopter... blah blah blah. He didn't like it when I asked him how long he's been estimating speed by sound. Because he heard us WAAAAY before he ever saw us. Eventually he realized that I knew a little something about the law and sent us on our way, no tickets, no nothing. But I love Cops, don't get me wrong. He was trying to do his job and thought I was just another punk 20 yr old on a sportbike.



My record: 14 pullovers (this example was the only one where I wasn't doing anything wrong, and the only one where I was rude and confrontive to the cop), 1 ticket (it was very legit- 89 in a 70). Knocking on wood as we speak.

 

[nickleinonen]

nothing that involved the cops, but i was accused of harassing a co-worker [a female] i said nothing bad or anything that could be taken offence to her since she started and like 2 months later i get dragged into the head office and they are about ready to press charges against me for harassment, but they didn't have a statment that read what i said being harassing. i was dumbfounded as to what i said... they let it slide as something that was a mis communication but that is now on my record at work. that just gets me right worked up. i normally don't hold grudges against people, but this one i will never let slide. i avoid speaking with the [female dog] now and i haven't said much than a few sentences to her in the last 2. 5 years... the less i see of her, the happier i am [which sucks, as she has the same days off i do, and works on the same shift in the same workcenter ] i am just so glad i am ahead of her on the senority list...

 

[Todd T]

my opinion is it doesnt hurt to question the officer. I got a ticket one time and I too knew i wasnt speeding. i waited for the officer to come back to the window and he handed it to me and I just stated i didnt want to argue with him but i knew the speed i was going the ticket he wrote was for nearly 15 over that. he just acknowledged and walked away.



later that night he called the house and asked if i would be home. he came over and explained he forgot to unlock the radar gun from the last ticket he wrote (which was the same speed he wrote me up for) and that he believed i wasnt speeding. he handed me my license back and tore up the ticket on the spot.



he told me if i hadnt questioned it, he would have never put two and two together.

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

Yep.



Since I've worked out in the hills for most of my career I'm use to carrying a backpack everywhere. I was in the carpenter's union for ten years and carried my lunch and spare clothing in the pack.



On one job a fellow carpenter started making accusations about me taking things home in my backpack. I didn't say a word. I just figured that Jesus knew that I didn't - and that's all that really counted. Period



When the job started winding down - like they all do in the trades, i. e. "working yourself out of a job" :-laf - and the layoffs started, Ken was laid off and I kept on working. Even though Ken had many years more experience and was an excellent finish carpenter.



You know who I think was behind it all the big guy upstairs. In fact one painter told a friend of mine "Maybe there is something to that "Lord" business, as much as that guy works" - this was during the building bust in the eighties.

 

[The patriot]

Yep.







On one job a fellow carpenter started making accusations about me taking things home in my backpack. I didn't say a word. I just figured that Jesus knew that I didn't - and that's all that really counted. Period



QUOTE]



I havent worked since spring due to my back, but I was on the phone with one of my co workers tonight.

He was telling me a story about someone at work that was mad because a rolling toolbox was stolen just as he was getting ready to steal it.

Kind of makes me really laugh.

Eric



BTW I earned every ticket I got except for the one I mentioned above. :{

 

[ropinfool2]

I too have been accused of sexual harrassment in the workplace. I know how much it can torque you, knowing you did nothing wrong. I was called into the plant manager's office one day, he explained that I had TWO sexual harrassment claims against me. I asked for more info, who had filed them, what exactly had I done, etc... Well he told me their names, one was a friend of mine so that didn't sound right, the other was a gal that thought she was the hottest thing around but wasn't. After talking with my manager for a bit he admitted that neither had actually filed them but two guys had in their behalf. I offered to appologize to both, which he found acceptable, told me this wasn't going in my record. I appologized to the one gal who thought she was hot, she told me she was offended by something I had said, don't remember saying it but wasn't going to argue, appologized to my friend and she immediately got p***** off, went straight to the manager, chewed his butt, wanted to know who filed it on her behalf, went to him and chewed his butt (he had the hots for her, was jealous of our friendship). Management told him, if he did it again he would lose his job. But this has stuck with me, still bothers me sometimes as I know I am not a bad person, don't mean to hurt anyone. John

 

[Jeff H]

My last job we had lots of women. They commit more harrasment than the men. They also get away with it. Women are great. But in the workplace they can turn into demons. My ma even warned my about women in the workplace. I've worked with some really nice women in the workplace. But there are those few who like to throw there weight around like they own the place.

 

[moolie]

patriot act

ok that's good but check this out now. THis is my old time good friend granted not the healthiest looking guy. He was falsly accused of mailing anthrax to the wyoming govenor. facing like 60 years and 2 million in fines because an ex boss didn't like him and said that sounds like something he would do. this guy is a midget for one and he wouldn't hurt a fly and would give u anything he had they screwed him big time. 100 days in jail lost his house, his car, his belongings in storage, ruined his probation, and lost his woman, she was a ***** anyway.



http://www.wyomingnews.net/news/more.asp?StoryID=103694&arch=true



http://www.wyomingnews.net/news/more.asp?StoryID=103710&arch=true





here is when i knew they were starting to squirm



http://www.wyomingnews.net/news/more.asp?StoryID=104300&arch=true







and finally



http://www.wyomingnews.net/news/more.asp?StoryID=104466&arch=true





innocent they claim charges dropped. now where is his house, his car all his belonging and his peace of mind, he'll never work there again i hope he sues their *****. HOwever under the patriot act it's very unlikely he will be entitled to anything. What a damn joke, the patriot act another abuse of power this is a middle aged alcoholic guy not a terrorist. using 911 to pass bills that normally would have never passed and for what to use them against it's own people man that's sickening. I wrote the editor of the paper he won't return my emails so i called and he hung up when i asked him about it. He already lost plenty and i hope that everyone realizes that this all happened to him because whoever did write this letter or series of letters to the gov. worked at the same place as my friend did ten years ago. His old boss hated him and had the chance to make his life hell i hope that jerk gets hit by a damn drunk driver. it would suit him right. This could happen to anyone of us if someone in the right situation just said the write thing and that's not right. I'm sorry but this is a friend and a good guy and to see him go through this just makes me irate. I have tried to help him as far as attorney money and stuff like that but i don't think there is any way he can do anything.