Police, Ticket, Court, Attorney That's Me!

Belmont Shores Beach, Calif... Issue #60

ifOnlyi…I had different thoughts, as my friend Jim did; I might not even have gotten in trouble with the courthouse. Ultimately, I was extremely grateful for how I was treated in court. BLESSED

It all started because of a girl named Sam! Yes, I have to blame someone, Sam and I pretty much hung out a lot. This particular weekend, I was asked if I would drive to Belmont Shores, California, an eclectic beach village with beautiful sandy beaches. 19 Years later, I ended up moving to Belmont Shores, where I worked and lived.

On the day in question, both of us were lying on the beach drinking beers. Beers on the beaches in California were 100% illegal, but we had a plan. A large ice chest with some snacks and food on top filled with cans of illegal beers underneath.

How do you solve the problem of drinking on the beach, which is totally illegal? You wrap the cans with perfectly cut sticky vinyl that rolls around the entire can, making it look like a Coke cola.

Who would ever suspect that? I thought, and then I kept hearing, "Sir, sir." I looked over, and a bicycle cop called me “SIR” again and beckoned me to come to the walkway. He had a pair of binoculars hanging around his neck.

He simply asked me if he could have a sip of my Coke. He said he was parched and he would be grateful. I replied, “Sir, best not. I’m not feeling the best, perhaps a flu bug.”

Please, “it’s okay. I appreciate your kindness.” So what does a 19-year-old kid do when his back is against the wall? I just hoped he liked my Coke flavor.

Young man, “This doesn’t taste like the Coke I’m used to.” He looked intently at the can and saw an edge of the vinyl not perfectly lined up. “SHIT, I’m in trouble, I thought! He unrolled the sticky vinyl and saw it said BUDWEISER. “Oh, my mistake; I must have wrapped the wrong can, officer,” I said.

Out came his ticketing book. Yikes! “I’m so sorry, officer. Is there anything I can do so you don’t need to write me a ticket? After all, I was willing to give you a sip or two, remember?”

Yes, “If the Judge decides to change it, you are free from the fine.” Great!

On the day of the hearing, I was dressed to impress and walked into court. I’d never been there before or in any court at this point in my life, so I had no idea that I should not have crossed the bar. I learned later it was only meant for people who had passed the bar and became practicing Lawyers.

I walked up to speak with the clerk. One of the staff pointed her out, and I said that I was there to handle OLLIE G’s minor ticket issue. “Yes, sir, let's see what we have here. Oh, the drinking beer on the beach, ticket.”

I replied, “Doesn’t seem fair, really. He was passing through on his travels across the country and didn’t know the beer laws.”

The police officer never said the beer was wrapped with a sticky vinyl cover that said Coke Cola, so I thought I had no chance of getting off. However, the clerk assumed I was a lawyer trying to help OLLIE G out, so she said, “You can just pay a $50 fine and move on. There is no hearing needed.” “Perfect. Thank you very much. I will pay that right away.” I answered. Thankfully, my case never got to the Judge’s hand.

I told many of my friends about this event. Another time, my friend Jim was caught drinking beer with a Vinyl wrap, too, so he ended up in court. Jim was smarter than me. He learned from my experience, and when his name was called, he represented himself and confessed to drinking beer.

This time, the police officer did not write down the brand, so before the court hearing, Jim went into the liquor store and looked up non-alcoholic beer brands. When the Judge spoke to him, he admitted to drinking beer. ”Yes, Sir, I drink a lot of beer, but they are non-alcoholic Odoul’s. I don’t drink Alcohol, your Honor.”

The Judge said, “non-alcoholic,” saw that the ticket had no brand name, told Jim to leave, and threw the ticket in the garbage. Even luckier than me.

By the way, Jim was arrested three different times within 24 hours for drunk driving a few years later.

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#…ifOnlyi… short stories are published chronologically and follow my life growing up in California from 4 years old. If you’ve just found me, the stories will come together when you start reading from...Issue #1