No Hard Time

Today was a big day in the Sneed household. Today marked the last court appearance that Son Sneed will have to make regarding his bogus DUI case. He is a free man. For the new reader (as if that is likely), let me recap the story. At the end of April Son Sneed was involved in a minor car accident. There was no damage to either vehicle and no one suffered injury. This was the first traffic accident or ticket that Son Sneed had ever had. When Tucson's finest responded to the call, the responding officer assumed that Son Sneed was intoxicated, based on his demeanor and the fact that a retired officer told the responding officer that Son Sneed was driving erratically prior to the accident. The responding officer gave Son Sneed a field sobriety test and determined that he had probable cause to do a Breathalyzer test, which revealed no traces of alcohol in Son Sneed's system. Son Sneed explained that he is mentally ill and that he takes medication to control his symptoms. The officer had already convinced himself that Son Sneed was under the influence and he was out to prove it. So rather than citing him for the accident and allowing him to go, the officer drove him to a police substation and demanded a urine sample. Son Sneed told the officer that he has trouble urinating but that he would consent to a blood test to prove his innocence. Instead of having his blood drawn, the officer chose to keep him in a cell, drinking water and periodically escorting him to the bathroom. All to no avail. The arresting officer finally grew tired of trying to get the urine sample and simply cited him for DUI and refusal to submit to the urine sample. He also instructed him that the law allowed the officer to confiscate his license for a refusal to provide a urine sample. The experience so rattled Son Sneed that he spent the next couple of months in and out of the hospital. The State of Arizona summoned Son Sneed to a hearing to show cause why his license should not be suspended for one year for refusing to provide a urine sample. After testimony by Son Sneed and the arresting officer, the judge ruled that Son Sneed had not refused to provide the sample and that his license should be returned to him. The judge also referred his case to the state medical board to determine if Son Sneed is medically fit to drive. Rather than fight this battle, Son Sneed voluntarily relinquished his license to drive. In the meantime we have been going to court monthly while the City of Tucson weighs whether or not to prosecute the DUI. Today the prosecutor's office finally decided that they had insufficient evidence to take the case to trial and dismissed the charge. Son Sneed has to pay a fine of $250 for being at fault in the fender bender. In the end it all worked out, but not without a lot of trial and tribulation. Had the officer just acted like a human being rather than a bully with a badge, this could have all been avoided. Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky