In this case…real-life legal stories

FIRST-PERSON….The drinking started before we were even married. This was in the 80s. Tim had a couple of DWIs. One day they said, we want to put you in a program. He had to go in a residential program for three months. It was the only thing that worked. Tim got out in February of ‘92 and I was totally surprised with how he just kept with it. February 23rd it’ll be ten years that he’s been sober.

It was in May of 2001. Tim had his Texas driver’s license, you know, not being able to have a Virginia license. Tim goes out one Saturday. It got to be 10:30 or 11:00, but I wasn’t really worried. Then the phone rings and I hear that recording they have. That dreaded recording about “will you accept the call.” And he gave his name, and my heart just sank…. He said he was right outside the house, on our street. The front headlight had just gone out. He got pulled over, they put him in the cruiser, and they searched the truck, every inch of it. They said he wasn’t allowed to drive in the state of Virginia, his license had been suspended.

We expected that we would get a chance to speak at the court date. But the judge didn’t ask to speak to any of us. The prosecutor was saying to Tim, you know, I really shake your hand, I’m really proud that you did it. I have no problem putting this down to a misdemeanor…. So we were shocked when we saw what the papers said. Tim couldn’t drive for five more years in Virginia.

Tim left then and went to Texas. And it was hard because he was in Texas working and the six months he was gone he only came home like four times. The last time he was there he said, you know, we’ll work something out, I just miss you guys too much. And then my son…. It was so hard on him. He’d cry and say, I want my daddy, Mommy I miss my daddy.

I feel angry. I do. Because Tim has changed his life, turned it around, paid the debt to society. It was just so stupid. You may have procedures, but with each individual you really need to look at what they’re doing. If they’ve changed their life around, isn’t that what the system wants? You would think you’d want to really use them, get them involved in the community. Instead of saying, you can’t drive, say okay, this is what we want you to do. Two or three nights a week, go to a high school and talk to graduating seniors, or go talk to people that are in the treatment programs and kind of going back and forth.

Our whole life was just….It’s still so unsettling. It’s very hard.

So yeah. That’s my story.

Sharon has lived for many years in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. She was interviewed in 2002. For more information:

Photo from flickr, “car driving 1″ by Toni V.