Florida driver accused of using photocopied license plate: FHP
FORT MYERS, Fla. - A Florida Highway Patrol trooper in Fort Myers pulled over a driver last week after noticing a license plate that was actually a paper photocopy belonging to a completely different vehicle.
Photocopied license plate discovered
What we know:
According to FHP, the trooper made a traffic stop after noticing a vehicle's license plate was not reflecting light at night. Upon closer inspection, the trooper discovered the plate was an illegal printed paper photocopy that belonged to another vehicle.
The driver told the trooper that after purchasing the car, they took a photograph of a valid license plate from his other vehicle, printed it out and attached it to the car. Troopers noted that drivers are required to have a valid license plate for every vehicle they own.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
"This is something that one of our troopers picked up on, realizing this license plate was not real," FHP Trooper Ken Watson said. "And obviously made that traffic stop. You have to understand that your license plate comes back to that specific vehicle and who that registered owner is. By doing something like this, you're just going to create more problems for yourself. Do the right thing, get that vehicle legally tagged and make sure you have insurance. By putting all these things together, you will have a safe trip, and you will not get stopped by the state trooper."
Driver identity and insurance status
What we don't know:
FHP has not released the identity of the driver involved in the traffic stop. It remains unknown whether the driver had valid insurance on the newly purchased vehicle at the time of the stop.
Proper vehicle registration guidelines
What they're saying:
Watson said that the driver could have legally registered the vehicle online and ordered a license plate through the internet. A properly permitted temporary tag would have also been valid for the trip. The driver was charged with a second-degree misdemeanor.
"It is extremely important that we know what we are doing when it comes down to applying a tag on a vehicle. We want to make sure we will register that vehicle, insure the vehicle and make sure all documentation is correct. We now have someone who has a criminal record, all because they didn’t take the time to do the right thing," Watson said.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 13 reporter Kimberly Kuizon, who spoke with Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Ken Watson.