Man charged for driving with improper documents
By: Kelly Morse
Edited By: Meredith Mayberry, Sarah Schuch, Amanda Crabtree

A young Mount Pleasant man was found guilty and charged with driving under a suspended license.

In the case of the People vs. Christopher Boss, held at the Isabella County Courthouse Tuesday, Judge Rush found Boss guilty of driving with a suspended Michigan license although he had a valid license from another state.

Monty Davis, Michigan State patrol officer, pulled Davis over around 10 p.m. for careless driving in a parking lot near East Campus Drive on Oct. 27, 2007.

Davis said she saw two men and was not sure whether or not they were drag racing another vehicle.

“I looked over my left shoulder and there appeared to be a vehicle speeding out of the parking lot,” said Davis.

When she pulled him over Davis said Boss told her he was sorry and he was just in a hurry to get home.

Boss then handed over a valid Georgia license to the officer and she proceeded to run it through the system in her patrol car.

According to the computer data base, the license appeared to be suspended in the state of Michigan. Thus, Davis placed Boss under arrest for driving with a suspended license.

Boss’ attorney argued his defendant was not notified of his license suspension in the state of Michigan and that he had meant no harm.

“The person that just blows [a suspended license] off is more dangerous than someone who did not willfully break the law,” said Boss’ attorney. “He truly, honestly did not know.”

Judge Rush then explained how having a driver’s license in Georgia was not enough.

“You may have a valid driver’s license in every other state in the US,” said Judge Rush, “but that still doesn’t mean you have one in Michigan.”

Boss received a fine of $450 for his charge of driving while suspended.