Mother Arrested, Jailed for Expired Tags

[MrScorpio]

Updated: Tuesday, 03 Aug 2010, 6:42 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 03 Aug 2010, 6:42 PM EDT

BY JOHN HENREHAN/myfoxdc

KENSINGTON, Md. - A Kensington, Maryland mother spent most of the evening, last Thursday, in handcuffs or in jail in the District of Columbia. Her transgression? Driving her car with expired license plates.

41-year-old Nycci Nellis was pulled over by a D.C. police officer on Military Road around 6:45 p.m.

"She pulled me out of my car, and... handcuffed me," said Nellis.

After Nellis was transported to the Second District police station, she was then taken to central booking downtown.

"It was a terrifying experience, having never been in a prison or jail before," explained Nellis.
"There were a lot of people in there. There were a lot of people who were unhappy to be there, and they were very vocal about it."

After Nellis was given a court date, she was released.

The public affairs division of D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department declined an on-camera interview about Nycci Nellis' case.

But one officer told us there are 'general orders' applicable to traffic stops involving expired registration. According to that officer, police are advised to write a ticket if the license plates are expired by only a few days.

But, he said, if a motorist has been stopped driving with plates that have been expired for a 'substantial period', an arrest is made.

John Townsend, a spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, thinks an arrest for expired plates is, "over the top."

"In most other jurisdictions, including Virginia and Maryland," Townsend told us, "you would not be arrested for this.

And this is why so shocking and it sends chills up the spines of motorists everywhere, because we're in and out of all the jurisdictions all of the time."

The D.C. officer who spoke with us also mentioned that driving in the city with an expired operator's license also generally leads to an arrest.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/mother-arrested-jailed-for-expired-tags-080310

[ingac70]

1. In my state, whether there is an arrest....

is basically up to the cop..... this one was just being a douche.

[EFerrari]

2. I bet this will become more common because everyone is hurting for revenue.

Yikes.

[704wipes]

3. Several guesses = Driving while black &

Happens around here if you are black, and/or have plates from an urban area and are driving in a more
affluent edge suburb. Wonder if that applies in her case?

Also, in those areas they take a look at your car.

Is it an older model/make?
plates not from the area you are driving in?
color/age of the driver.

I think arrests and fines for little things are up around here too, revenue generator for sure.

[leftofcool]

7. Bingo!

[jtrockville]

18. Kinda the opposite.

1) She's white (see the video at the link, if you're brave enough to hit "myfoxdc.com").
2) Kensington (her home) is probably a more affluent suburb than Military Road in (the urban) DC.

[snooper2]

25. wrong, wrong, and wrong, but don't let that stop ya

:hi:

[Turbineguy]

4. Arrest Everybody!

Fill the prisons! Let jubilation reign!

[Lasher]

5. Don't you think this is sensationalized just a tad?

There were a lot of people who were unhappy to be there? Ya don't say! And what's with the 'Mother Arrested' in the headline? How is it relevant that she's a mother? Why not 'Cat Owner Arrested'?

Or better yet, why didn't John Henrehan mention that she is the WTTG 'FOX 5 Foodie'?

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/mornings/fox-5-foodie-012210

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. She's a Fox talking head, eh?

Well, in that case.........

[Lasher]

9. Well my point is that skepticism is justified.

Maybe she resisted arrest, I don't know. But after having seen such shoddy 'journalism' I don't believe a word of it.

[MyNameGoesHere]

11. I think she does restaurant critiques in DC.

Hardly a faux talking head unless they are going to convert us by pointing out good restaurants.

[newfie11]

8. I wonder what "the rest of the story is"

I bet this gal isn't as innocent as she claims.

[MyNameGoesHere]

10. Is this the woman that has a food critic website?

I seem to know that name. I looked it up but the photos are close but I am not sure. Maybe she put the local cops doughnut shop on the sucks list?

[Lasher]

13. Yes.

She and her husband have a radio talk show too. It's about wine and food.

Edit to furnish link: http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=1648569&nid=410

[Hubert Flottz]

12. If the cops "DON'T LOOK BACK"

We could empty our jails.

It's okay to lie to the UN but you can go to jail for lying to a cop. It's okay to torture and murder abroad, but you'd better not drive on expired tags.

[Lasher]

15. "Did you know your inspection sticker has expired, sir?"

One sign it's not going to be a good day.

[Hubert Flottz]

21. And here's this cat pickin' on YOU, while all those chicken thieves

and other assorted shyster types, prey at will, on the old, the poor and the unsuspecting.

If you speed in West Virginia now, if the law don't get you, the potholes will. With the roads in the shape they're in you'd think the "public safety" people would worry more about inspecting our roads. No wonder a guy can't get a sticker, his front end and suspension system is probably unsurvivable.

[malaise]

16. Ding ding

We have a winner :hi:

[Hubert Flottz]

22. If we followed our leaders in Washington's examples we'd

all be down at the cat house with our diapers on.

[a la izquierda]

14. I believe in Oklahoma they just ticket us...

not sure, though.

[justabob]

17. Texas too

well.... last time I was pulled for plates anyway. :) Things may have changed since then (couple of years ago).

Related note.... they put dark paper you can't see through on the back of the sticker we put on the windshield, so unless you pay attention and approach your car from the front, it is really easy to miss the expiration date. They do everything they can to get a few extra bucks via tickets.

[uncommon]

24. Wow, really? Here your car gets impounded and you can be arrested.

[w8liftinglady]

19. this happens in my area as well-disproportionate African-American and Hispanic arrests for bullshit.

http://www.elliscountypress.com/news/156/ARTICLE/6897/2010-07-29.html
http://www.elliscountypress.com/news/154/ARTICLE/6891/2010-07-29.html
http://www.elliscountypress.com/news/155/ARTICLE/6892/2010-07-29.html

[sinkingfeeling]

20. This lady is white and very middle class. Wonder why her tags had been expired for so long, since

she could afford to renew.

[uncommon]

23. Um... driving an unregistered vehicle is arrestable in my area I believe...

What's the big deal? She should have renewed her registration. As the article says, driving without a license is also illegal.