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Please Help Us!
My fiancee was stopped by the Saco police department in Saco, Maine on the night of January 3rd 2008. The reason for the stop according to the officer, (Officer Kevin Gray), she was stopped for having expired license plates. After providing the officer with her valid Maine driver's license, valid current proof of insurance, and her expired vehicle registration, she was told she would be getting a warning for her expired registration and she could be on her way. Before he was done, he had her sign a paper, then the officer told her she was free to go, never giving her a copy of the paper.
She assumed everything was fine and thought it was a written warning.
On April 2, 2008, she was pulled over again on the Maine Turnpike by the Maine State Police (Trooper Christopher Kennedy) after they randomly ran her license plate and it came back suspended. The trooper admitted to me that he ran her plate at random, and that she had not been committing a traffic violation. The Trooper towed her car and summonsed her for Operating after suspension. She was then released to my custody. She was scared half to death because she didnt know what was happening.
After a good friend of mine (a Sergeant with another local police agency) did some research for us, we found out that the Saco police officer had issued her a citation (the paper he made her sign) and her license had been suspended because she never paid that fine. We've spoken to the Saco Officer and he denies never giving her a copy, saying "I always give a copy, no matter what". This officer's attitude is that he never makes a mistake, and our problem is that there is no possible way we can prove otherwise, because this department doesnt use in-car cameras or any other A/V recording of traffic stops. Because of this incident, she has an outstanding fine, a bogus charge of operating without insurance, and now operating after suspension because she was never aware anything was wrong. She has never had any conviction for anything, traffic or criminal, she could not have a cleaner driving history.
We have tried contacting an attorney, but we cant find one who deals with this type of problem, we have written to our senator, and we have spoken to the Saco Officer. We dont want to pay the fine because that would be admitting guilt and it would go on her driving record, ruining her record and making her insurance skyrocket. Not to mention the OAS charge is a criminal offense for which she could see jail time. We also had to pay $120 dollars to the towing company that the police used to tow her car, and it has put a strain on our finances because i have to go to work late everyday, so that i can drive her to work so we dont end up homeless...
We dont know what else to do..
Someone help us..
-Jason C.
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