Tuesday, October 23, 2012

I Think It Was A Sting

 
Started off the day early with a 45 minute run on the treadmill before heading out for my destination.  I headed up Hwy 77 towards Victoria and then beyond.  I'm not mentioning anymore town names as I will be driving back the same way.  However,  as I drove through one very small Texas town, I thought there were a lot of local police for such a small town.  Revenue generators!!!  They had two patrols pulling over cars as they sped through town.   I didn't think much of it other than the fact there were so many of them.  As I drove on I passed two state patrols in a parking lot chatting. You know, cars pulled up together but facing opposite directions so they are window to window.   At that moment I had a funny feeling, like the hair on the back of my neck did that wierd thing.
 
Off I went out of town and about two miles on the highway here comes one of the state troopers.  He pulls up alongside me and gives me a nod and a hello.  I returned a howdy-do an knew something was up.  He sped a way and took the turn around or so I thought.   Not 15 seconds later here comes his buddy racing up behind me and stays with me for about half a mile before turning on his lights.  I pulled over, put my hands on the wheel and waited.   He banged the rear end of the car with his hand and said, "driver's license, do you speak English?".   I did as he said, answered his question and then he wanted to know what I had in the boxes.  I told him books and the questions went on from there. 
 
His buddy comes back up behind him and continues to grill me while the first one is checking my license.   Then number one comes back and says, "So if you are working in this school tomorrow I suppose you have a contact?"  I told him yes and then gave him the person's name.   He laughed and said, "oh, my cousin Regie, hold on while I give a warning and then I will give you the short route there".  
 
Funny thing is, the warning was bogus.  They stopped me for following a car to close.  The supposed "red" car was in the lane next to me, not in front of me.  In the end, I busted them but they had the cards over on me.  I was still an hour and half from my destination.
 
Speaking of my destination, it is a town of roughly 5500, and very low income.  I drove by the school this afternoon and they are not receiving and state or federal funds based on the conditions of their facilities.  Kind of a scary place.   I went downtown for lunch, the area is just a shell of its former self.  Tomorrow will be interesting. 

3 comments:

  1. Interesting. Must be pretty quiet around there because apparently the cops have to look for things to do.

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  2. I got stopped in Ohio on the same thing. I was supposedly following a truck too close, but the cop couldn't have even seen the truck in front. He chatted and was trying to figure out if I was a rolling meth lab. After that didn't pan out he gave me some bogus "courtesy advisory" about travelling too close. I was flustered, frustrated and angry for months.

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  3. Glad you kept your cool Chris. What a waste of time and energy.

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