Ontario woman arrested, jailed in U.S. for driving with a Canadian licence

[2MuchMark]

WTF??

Ontario woman arrested, jailed in U.S. for driving with a Canadian licence



An Ontario woman is looking for an apology from the Georgia police officer who arrested, handcuffed and charged her because she was driving with a Canadian licence.

"It was the most horrendous incident of my life," said Emily Nield. "It was mortifying. I was terrified the entire time."

About a month ago, the 27-year-old was driving through Georgia to Tennessee, where she had just completed a master's degree in geology. Nield's route took her along the I-75, which is often used by Canadians making the trek to and from Florida.

Canadian driver's licences valid in Florida, after all
That's where she was pulled over for speeding, and the officer asked to see her licence. Nield handed over her Ontario driver's licence, but wasn't prepared for the officer's reaction.

"She kept saying, 'No, Canadian licences are not accepted,'" said Nield. "I was flabbergasted. I just kept saying this can't be right — a Canadian licence is always valid."

Nield told CBC Toronto she was then asked to prove she was Canadian and although she had copies of her passport, Nexus card, and birth certificate on her phone, the officer wanted to see an original hard copy.

I was flabbergasted. I just kept saying this can't be right — a Canadian licence is always valid.
- Emily Nield

"When I failed to produce it, she reached through the window of my car and she put handcuffs on me," said Nield.

"She told me that I have just been arrested for driving without a licence and that I needed to go to jail."

In the back of the officer's cruiser Nield managed to take a video on her cellphone and send it to friends on SnapChat.

"I'm in cuffs. Help me! I don't want to go to jail," she says in the video as she breaks down in tears.

'I never committed a crime'
At the police station Nield was charged with driving without a licence and speeding, for doing 87 m.p.h. in a 70 m.p.h. zone.

Police took her mugshot and fingerprinted her.

"They kept saying 'You're now in the system. Any crime that's going to be committed, your fingerprints are going to be searched,'" said Nield. "I never committed a crime."

One of her friends was able to determine her location in Adel, through a feature on SnapChat, and called the sheriff's office in Cook County, Ga.

Nield said she was permitted to speak to her friend, but her requests to speak to the Canadian Consulate or her parents went unanswered.

Paid $880 to get out of jail
She said police told her she would remain in jail until her court appearance on June 12, unless she paid an $880 US bond in cash, which she didn't have.

Eventually she was allowed to use her debit card and post her own bail. Nield said she also had to pay $200 to remove her car from the impound.

RELATED: American shakedown: Police won't charge you, but they'll grab your money


She stayed in the States while trying to get the charges dismissed and the arrest expunged, with the help of a friend's father, who is a lawyer in Virginia, and the Canadian Consulate.

"I just kept thinking this would ruin me," Nield told CBC Toronto. "Any job application you have to check a box. Are you a criminal? Have you ever been convicted or arrested for anything?"

Full Story and Video at Ontario woman arrested, jailed in U.S. for driving with a Canadian licence | CBC News

[Rochard]

This is because in the United States a licence doesn't allow you to drive. You need a license, not a licence.

[2MuchMark]

Originally Posted by Rochard

This is because in the United States a licence doesn't allow you to drive. You need a license, not a licence.

[dyna mo]

I love canadian chicks with daddy issues!

[blackmonsters]

Another law enforcement success story.

[Rochard]

I am guessing there is more to the story than we think.

Mark posted this on Facebook and someone responded saying she had overstayed her student visa by six months, and had four prior warnings. I couldn't find anything to verify this.

Someone correct me if you are wrong... If you move to any state in the US you have a certain period of time to get a local driver's license. You cannot move to the United States for four years and not have a local driver's license. Same thing with your cars too - You have to have your car registered in the state you live in. The requirements are no different if you are a student, or if you student from another country. I would imagine insurance also.

If I go to Canada for two weeks, I can drive on my California DL so long as I have my passport with me. However, she had been living in the US for four years, most likely over stayed her student visa, and didn't have her passport with her. A digital photo of your passport on your cell phone is not the same as your passport. Anyone can edit a photo of a passport.

I'm sorry, but what she did was illegal on multiple levels.

[Bladewire]

Little Southern shit jurisdictions do this crap to get money for their county. Fir the county it was all about them getting that $880 bail money.

If you're driving with out of state plates you're a target.

[BaldBastard]

International drivers license agreements is only valid for a certain time, 6 months in Aus I think

[directfiesta]

This is knowned to most snowbirds . I know that, tough I fly to Florida.

The reasoning behing this is that a Quebec drivers permit is all in french language , and Georgia police officers cannot comprehend that .
So , for that SOLE state, you need an Internation driverès permit as it is en english ....

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

This is knowned to most snowbirds . I know that, tough I fly to Florida.

The reasoning behing this is that a Quebec drivers permit is all in french language , and Georgia police officers cannot comprehend that .
So , for that SOLE state, you need an Internation driverès permit as it is en english ....

Seems they abolished that in 2016

https://www.newswire.ca/news-release...578266291.html

[2MuchMark]

A long time ago I drove from Montreal to Florida. While on I95 in South Carolina, I was pulled over by a copy who could best be described as Sheriff Beuferd T Justice kinda cop.

He was really friendly at first until saw my Canadian Drivers license. He made me get out of my car and stand between my car and his. He told me that I had to pay a $250 fine right then and there, in cash, because he couldn't hope to collect on a ticket given to a foreigner. This was probably a correct assumption, but despite my promise to pay, he demanded cash.

I had cash on me but was suddenly scared that he had a dash cam or something and that he was setting me up to bribe him. If the camera had no sound (this was 1995), wouldn't it look like I was handing cash to a cop as a bribe?).

I told him I could follow him to the cop station and pay by debit or credit card, but he refused. Eventually he dropped it from $250 to $100 to nothing, and just let me go.

NEVER speed through the southern US if you aren't from around them-thar parts.

[dyna mo]

i'd bet that since she was here as a long term student she was required to obtain a US DL. She had not and that was revealed when she was caught going ~90 in a 70.

the authority figure pulled her over, triggering her daddy issues, she had a hissy fit and did not cooperate, leading to her arrest.

[Rochard]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

This is knowned to most snowbirds . I know that, tough I fly to Florida.

The reasoning behing this is that a Quebec drivers permit is all in french language , and Georgia police officers cannot comprehend that .
So , for that SOLE state, you need an Internation driverès permit as it is en english ....

Well.... No, most Americans cannot read or speak French. So.... If you pull out a driver's license in a foreign language from a foreign country.... It is what it is.

This is why we have such laws.

[Bladewire]

Originally Posted by 2MuchMark

A long time ago I drove from Montreal to Florida. While on I95 in South Carolina, I was pulled over by a copy who could best be described as Sheriff Beuferd T Justice kinda cop.

He was really friendly at first until saw my Canadian Drivers license. He made me get out of my car and stand between my car and his. He told me that I had to pay a $250 fine right then and there, in cash, because he couldn't hope to collect on a ticket given to a foreigner. This was probably a correct assumption, but despite my promise to pay, he demanded cash.

I had cash on me but was suddenly scared that he had a dash cam or something and that he was setting me up to bribe him. If the camera had no sound (this was 1995), wouldn't it look like I was handing cash to a cop as a bribe?).

I told him I could follow him to the cop station and pay by debit or credit card, but he refused. Eventually he dropped it from $250 to $100 to nothing, and just let me go.

NEVER speed through the southern US if you aren't from around them-thar parts.

That happened to me in Texas with California plates, driving through to Louisiana. Drama queen cop made me get out and walk to his cop car, and I'm white, as was my.kud in the car and a female friend of mine. Stupid small town small dick cops give the rest a bad name.

[baddog]

Originally Posted by Rochard

I am guessing there is more to the story than we think.

Mark posted this on Facebook and someone responded saying she had overstayed her student visa by six months, and had four prior warnings. I couldn't find anything to verify this.

Someone correct me if you are wrong... If you move to any state in the US you have a certain period of time to get a local driver's license. You cannot move to the United States for four years and not have a local driver's license. Same thing with your cars too - You have to have your car registered in the state you live in. The requirements are no different if you are a student, or if you student from another country. I would imagine insurance also.

If I go to Canada for two weeks, I can drive on my California DL so long as I have my passport with me. However, she had been living in the US for four years, most likely over stayed her student visa, and didn't have her passport with her. A digital photo of your passport on your cell phone is not the same as your passport. Anyone can edit a photo of a passport.

I'm sorry, but what she did was illegal on multiple levels.

I rarely say this, but you are absolutely correct on multiple levels.

[ghjghj]

Originally Posted by 2MuchMark

Eventually he dropped it from $250 to $100 to nothing, and just let me go.