Reader: My driver's license just got put under restraint for an unpaid ticket from 1986

The Internet may not be forever, but it's a pretty damn long time. Witness the continuing life of Jonathan Shikes' 2008 post about being notified about an unpaid ticket from six years earlier. This tale struck a chord with one reader, who was recently hit with a parking-ticket blast from...

By Michael Roberts

February 16, 2012

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The Internet may not be forever, but it's a pretty damn long time. Witness the continuing life of Jonathan Shikes' 2008 post about being notified about an unpaid ticket from six years earlier. This tale struck a chord with one reader, who was recently hit with a parking-ticket blast from the even more distant past.

Norman Clark writes:

I have you beat. I was told yesterday that my drivers license was under restraint because of a unpaid ticket that I had in 1986. That is twenty-six years ago. Since that time, I have had my drivers license renewed at lease twice, I have had insurance all that time and as you know an insurance company is not going to give you insurance if you have a unpaid ticket. I believe that something is going on in the police depeartment that is playing games with driving records. I don't know how to fight this type of thing. Oh yes, did I say my car was towed?

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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