Bad Habit Case

It was October 24, 2007, and I was 25 years old. The weather was cold and rainy; the brisk wind was blowing the leaves all over the road. It was around midnight, and I was driving home after meeting a couple of girlfriends for late night pancakes at IHOP. The rain really started to pick up. I turned down the radio, so I could hear the pitter-patter of raindrops on my windshield. It sounded like like hundreds of tiny feet running across the glass. The steady beat of the rain put me in a daze, lost in my thoughts, my foot grew heavy and I totally disregarded how fast I was going. Before I became conscious of my mistake, I heard the sirens of a police car. I took a quick glance in my rearview mirror, and it revealed blue and red flashing lights. Instantaneously, my mind traveled to the fact that my license had expired earlier in the month. I was required to retake the written examine in order to renew my license, something I did not want to do, so I had procrastinated, putting off what I should've done weeks before. I initiated my right turn signal and pulled my car over to the side of the road.

My irresponsibility and negligence sat in the forefront of my racing mind, as I heard the officer's door shut. I decided to act like a professional young lady and to try to relax. He walked up to my window and I said, "Is there a problem officer?" He answered, "Are you aware of the speed limit on this road miss?" I said "35 mph Sir." He said, "I clocked you doing 45 mph. May I see your license and registration?" I leaned into my glove box and retrieved my registration and expired license and handed them to the officer. He took them from me, and told me to stay put, as he walked back to his squad car.

My heart was beating 100 miles per hour, and my palms were sweating. Five minutes (although it felt like five hours) later the police man reappeared at my window. He said, "Were you aware you were driving on a non-valid driver's license?" I said, "Yes sir," and began to try and explain myself. He cut me off midsentence and said, "Will you please step out of the vehicle?" I did as he asked, and he said, "You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you." With that said, he slapped handcuffs on my wrists. I was shocked and devastated! Tears streamed down my face, as I realized the gravity of what my careless procrastination had caused. The officer then escorted me to his squad car. The backseat was hard and plastic and the windows were barred; the whole situation felt surreal.

I had seen the county jail before driving by it on the highway, but when we pulled up to the entrance, it felt foreign. The officer escorted me out of the car. He took me by the arm-rather roughly, and marched