The lord giveth, and he taketh away.

On Monday lunch time I went out to Waukegen to apply for a social security card. On the way back to work I cruised through a speed trap on Washington Ave. The officer caught up and pulled me over. I stayed in my car because I was told that sometimes the police here are nervous and pull their gun if you open the door.

He asked for my licence, but I didn't have anything because I lost my wallet downtown. All I could give him was my passport, which luckily I had on me because I was visiting the social security office. He asked me to get out and hop into the back of his unmarked police car. His name was Officer Harvey. He then started writing out tickets for travelling 45 in a 30 mph zone, and operating a vehicle with no valid driver's licence. We chatted for a little while and then the tow truck arrived to take away my car. At the same time a taxi arrived to take me back to work.

In the taxi I read all the papers he had given me. First was a card which said my car has been siezed by The City of Waukegan, and $500 would be required to obtain its release. Additionally, towing fees are $170 + $35/day in storage. If my car is not picked up in 30 days, it is forfeited to the towing company. The other tickets were $75 for speeding and $75 for driving without a license. Then there was a personal recognizance record which says I must appear in court at 10:30AM on the 24th of February for the case of People Of The State Of Illinois vs. Rodney V Lorrimar.

The fare to back to Libertyville was more than $30 but all I could give the taxi driver was my last $22.37.

Anyway... after a lot of phone calls and faxes I got my car back on Wednesday. The DPI sounded helpful but they didn't send the fax about my WA driver's licence quick enough. However I think the hire company said the right things to the Waukegan Police Department Traffic Division because after they called Avis, I didn't need to pay the $500 release, or the towing fee. In court I will be able to plead not guilty and show my documentation (which is coming in the mail), so the total damage is only the $75 speeding fine + $22.37 taxi fare.