I Wasn’t on my Phone, I Was Eating a Hash Brown
Is this the excuse of all excuses to get out of a cell phone ticket?
We all know by now that if you talk on your hand held phone while driving and the police pull you over, you could get a ticket that could cost you a bunch of cash.
I told the story on the air a few months ago about when I was driving back to Poughkeepsie from Kingston. I was driving south on Route 9W in Port Ewen, when I was pulled over. When the officer got to my window, he asked me if I knew why I was being pulled over and I said I had no clue why. He then told me that he observed me talking on my cell phone while I was driving.
I explained to the really cool officer that there is no way I was on my phone as I have Bluetooth and I didn't even get a call or a text or anything in the last few hours. I showed him my phone and after he looked at it, he told me he was sorry for the misunderstanding and sent me on my way with NO ticket. Thank you kind sir!
Things didn't quite go as well for this guy in Connecticut. His name is Jason Stiber and back in April he received a $300 distracted driving ticket by a Westport police officer, according to WTEN.
His defense is not something I ever heard before, he claims that the police mistook a McDonald’s hash brown for a cellphone when he was pulled over. Stiber challenged the ticket and wound up losing in court but was granted a retrial that’s scheduled to start December 7th.
The officer, Lt. Jillian Cabana says the department stands by its story but couldn’t say anything more due to the fact that it is still in the courts.