Grandma Wrongfully Jailed for Driving Too Slow
Woman jailed for two weeks, but her license wasn't suspended
By TODD WRIGHT
Updated 9:23 AM EDT, Tue, Jan 12, 2010
Broward's justice system is apparently doing their part to keep old people off of the roads in South Florida. Only next time, they might want to get their facts straight.
Police arrested 78-year-old Gabrielle Shaink Trudeau in November for driving with a suspended license and the grandmother was jailed for more than two weeks before someone figured out her license wasn’t suspended after all, according to the BrowardBulldog.org.
Trudeau was released at the behest of a Broward County judge who didn’t mince words about who really deserved to be shackled.
“I want her released. I think she's suffered enough at our system's mistakes," Circuit Judge Lee Seidman wrote in his court order.
The problem for poor Trudeau was, well, she’s poor. She had no one to represent her in court and the Public Defender’s Office failed to appear at her arraignment, which may have solved the problem immediately.
“We fell down and we fell down badly," Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein told BrowardBulldog.
Trudeau’s problems with the law started after she was pulled over a few months earlier by police for driving her car too slowly. That caused the DMV to question her ability to drive. The grandma’s license was revoked pending a review of her skills.
Then, after receiving a notice in the mail saying that her driving privileges had been restored, Broward Sheriff’s Office showed up at her door with a warrant for Trudeau’s arrest. Apparently they didn’t get the memo.
“They came on real strong, like I had killed somebody or something," Trudeau said. "There were neighbors all around. They put handcuffs on me. It was very embarrassing."
Trudeau had to spend Thanksgiving in jail instead of with her family.
Prosecutors have dropped the charges against her and offered an apology.
First Published: Jan 11, 2010 5:27 PM EDT on NBC Miami
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