Story Archive

Blame Tennessee

Emily Nield, 27, was arrested for driving without a license, but she had one. The license, however, was issued by the province of Ontario, and the officer in Cook County, Ga., claimed Canadian licenses weren’t valid. (They are.) Cook County probate court solicitor Matthew Bennett agreed to drop the charges, but he said “confusion” had arisen because “Ms. Nield stated she lived in Tennessee,” and Tennessee issues driver’s licenses to foreign citizens who live there. Nield “cried with joy,” she said, when she learned that even her arrest would be expunged. “This would ruin me,” she had thought. “Any job application you have to check a box ... Have you ever been convicted or arrested for anything?” (AC/CBC) ...For people who care about arrest records, you’re innocent until you encounter an ignorant cop.