Just got out of Jail... Need some (serious) advice...

LMSInc.

LMSInc.

New member
Oct 21, 2009
325
5
0
Ok, I'll cut to the chase here.

A few weeks ago, I bought a used car off of Craigslist. I got the car 230 miles from where I live.

The title was clean (no salvage) and it was already filled out and notarized, which needs to be done to sell a vehicle.

Now, many people will purchase a car for a little bit, and then turn around and sell it a month or two later, without ever turning the title in and getting a new one issued to them. I have done this on many occasions and it's never been an issue.

Anyways, the car was sold by the original owner, to the new owner, then handed over to me. When I got it, there was a plate on it with tags good for like 3 more months.

So, the other day I'm driving home at 5am from a weekend out of town. I get pulled over for speeding, no big deal... Then the cop asks me to step out of the car. I get spun around, put in cuffs, searched, and put in the back seat of the cop car.

The cop then tells me that the plate on the car is for a completely different car. I go to jail, and my car get's seized.

Fuck me.

So, I get out of jail, and now I have to prove that I didn't do this.

When I got the car, the plate was on it... I had 3 other people with me whom are all witnesses to this fact. I know who the sellers are (through my research on the phone numbers I have for the 2 sellers), but now I am at a dead end...

Should I file a report with their local police department, should I file suit... What should I do? I have a public defender, which I'm sure won't be much help, so I need to do some of this legwork on my own.

There are a lot of smart people here, so I figured I would see if anyone had any concrete advice or experience that could help point me in the right direction here.

Thanks in advance everyone, and don't buy used cars.
 


even your public defender should have no problem writing a letter to the district attorney explaining the situation in a way that won't incriminate you. If what you said is true they'll probably drop the charges.
 
Christ dude, sounds like my biggest nightmare come true. You just justified me buying from a dealership rather than another person. I don't know much about legal stuff but I kinda got a feeling that this will all work out for you, if you don't have any serious stuff on your record. I can't imagine a lawful citizen that got fucked over getting into serious trouble over this.
 
Wow. Just wow.

In other words - don't speed in a car you haven't claimed the title on yet. :p

I agree with Eli though, file a letter with the court and the charges will most likely be dropped.

Also, you might treat one of the judges to lunch (depending on where you live it could be easier based on the population) and get their opinion. I doubt they'd actually want to imprison someone, so they are likely to give very helpful advice.
 
Deliguy said:
even your public defender should have no problem writing a letter to the district attorney explaining the situation in a way that won't incriminate you. If what you said is true they'll probably drop the charges.
Click to expand...

Yea, as much as we all like to avoid blame, this shit is 100% true... I'm so pissed :( I will talk to my PD in a few days once they get my case info and I'll go from there.

BluAffiliate said:
Christ dude, sounds like my biggest nightmare come true. You just justified me buying from a dealership rather than another person. I don't know much about legal stuff but I kinda got a feeling that this will all work out for you, if you don't have any serious stuff on your record. I can't imagine a lawful citizen that got fucked over getting into serious trouble over this.
Click to expand...

I do have some shit on my record, but nothing pertaining to this, and that was years ago... Funny thing, I bought 2 cars private party that day, one for myself (the one we're talking about here) and another for my brother.

The one for my brother has been a fucking nightmare as well, there is an issue with the title that I overlooked, and the DMV won't register it unless the old owner get's in touch with them. I can't track the old owner down, the number I had is dead, the address they were at is vacant and the owner of the property won't give me any info...

I've owned like 24 vehicles in the last 7 years, but never had an issue like this... From now on, Dealers or very-trustworthy sellers only. No more 'let's meet in the parking lot' crap.

Go to their house, make sure they are legit, take it to the DMV together and get everything done together before you hand over any cash.
 
I got a call a few months ago from some guy at the DMV. Turns out a car I sold (non-running with a bad turbo) and something else making oil literally come through the defroster, never got properly registered again after I sold it.

Some women was trying to press charges against ME for selling her a lemon.

I sold this car over 8 years ago.

In my pile o' crap that I should throw away but haven't I had the title transfer and bill of sale for the car. Took it in, gave my statement to the police, end of story.

Even selling a car can turn into a pain in the ass.

Hell I gave a car away once, and had to fight tickets for months since the guy drove around seeming parking like a nutjob for 3 months with out transferring the title.

Your problem is that your state also gives you xx days to get the title switched over, inspections, whatever ----- plus you have to insure it.

If you didn't do those things even after you prove you didn't switch plates you are still screwed - but will probably just get fined out the ass.
 
I thought it was illegal to drive with the old plates in the first place? You have to remove them and have 30 days to get new ones. That's why you carry the bill of sale in the glove box.
 
subigo said:
I thought it was illegal to drive with the old plates in the first place? You have to remove them and have 30 days to get new ones. That's why you carry the bill of sale in the glove box.
Click to expand...

TBH, I'm not sure on that legality. I know if the plates matched the vehicle, I would have driven it away with a speeding ticket. I think they just take the plate off in that case, but you do have 30 days (or maybe 20 or something?) to get the car registered, so you're fine either way. That's more a small technicality than it is illegal. At least in my experience (it's never been an issue before).

As for the bill of sale, there isn't one needed out here, as long as the title is notarized, which it was. I did have the title on me. The officer told me I would be going home if I didn't have "the wrong plate on there".

To clarify, the car was a 97, and the plate was for a 94. It was from a totally different vehicle, registered to some mexican guy whom I've never heard of.
:(
 
c'mon man. you were honestly driving around with someone else's plates and you thought it was ok??? i can see a day maybe but you were asking for trouble and it looks like you found it.

anyway, get a lawyer. quit talking that lawsuit bs and explain the situation to the police/prosecutor with your lawyer. i bet they drop the charges if you get your information and present it to them politely. you are not in a position to bully them so own up to your own stupidity in how you got into this mess. i'm sure you aren't the run-of-the-mill murderer or drug dealer that they usually deal with!

ps, don't mention no acai berries!!
 
S M W said:
c'mon man. you were honestly driving around with someone else's plates and you thought it was ok??? i can see a day maybe but you were asking for trouble and it looks like you found it.

anyway, get a lawyer. quit talking that lawsuit bs and explain the situation to the police/prosecutor with your lawyer. i bet they drop the charges if you get your information and present it to them politely. you are not in a position to bully them so own up to your own stupidity in how you got into this mess. i'm sure you aren't the run-of-the-mill murderer or drug dealer that they usually deal with!

ps, don't mention no acai berries!!
Click to expand...

It's alright to do it with the old plate or no plate out here until the vehicle ownership is transferred. Usually, the plate will be taken off by the old owner, but not always. Yes, I should have thought about it, but alas, I didn't. My mistake, but not my crime.

I do think they will drop the charges, it should be pretty easy to prove that I didn't put the plate on there... I do also have witnesses, but I've never been arrested for something I didn't do before, so it's a new situation! lol

As for the talk of the lawsuit, that is another matter with the same people. The title they gave me was in fact legit, and verified by a DMV service. It was issued in 2005. It was a 'clean' title. Well, apparently the vehicle was salvaged in 2001, and thus a salvaged title was issued.

Somehow, I got a title 4 years after the car was deemed 'salvaged' that didn't note that it was salvaged. But that's a whole different fucking mess...
 
subigo said:
I thought it was illegal to drive with the old plates in the first place? You have to remove them and have 30 days to get new ones. That's why you carry the bill of sale in the glove box.
Click to expand...
depends on the state. Either way its not jailtime illegal. Just a traffic violation.
 
What did they charge you with?

If it's just registration(MVR) violations, try to straighten it out with the county clerk before you go to court.

You need to familiarize yourself with your state and local regulations regarding title transfer as well as MVRs. Your counsel will probably already know, but you should make it a point to know yourself so you know how to deal with buying/selling cars in the future. It's like changing a tire; some shit you just need to know.

The old tag wasn't by chance registered to this, was it?:
vgC2A.jpg
 
I got charged with Displaying Fictitious Plates.

Here's the kicker.... The plate wasn't 'stolen'.... Why the fuck wasn't it stolen? Why was it on there? Where did it come from that it wasn't stolen?!

lol

Someone took a legit plate from another vehicle, with good tags, that never got reported stolen, and put it on a different vehicle, which they then sold, with the plate... Makes no fucking sense to me?!
 
subigo said:
I thought it was illegal to drive with the old plates in the first place? You have to remove them and have 30 days to get new ones. That's why you carry the bill of sale in the glove box.
Click to expand...

It depends on the state you are in. Some require new plates. Other states assign one set of plates to a car and they get passed from owner to owner.
 
I love that they took you to jail for having the wrong plates and no one here is angry about that. There's a piece of metal hanging off your car that didn't match up with the one the government wanted you to have, so they pointed a gun at you, kidnapped you, and put you in a cell.
 
Well on the other side of this my mom just bought a car off of craigslist and it was a total lemon, like not even safe lemon. She tried to reason with the seller that stopped taking her calls. She had paid with a Insurance check from her old car, Endorsed it and gave it to him. So she Called the Insurance company to stop payment on the check, and and called them to pick up their car. A month later deputy's show up at her door charging her with felony check fraud.

But crazy thing was he forged the title on the car he sold her. Now He is facing felony forgery.

Beware of Craigslist.
P.S. Any craigslist posters in here, I need to sell a car. :-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom