When I was a little boy, my grandmother used to tell me to beware of Greeks bearing gifts. Well, I had never heard about Helen of Troy of the Trojan Horse and I was sure that I did not know and any Greeks so I had no idea what she was talking about. There are a multitude of internet scams out there. So, if someone says you are the “lucky winner” or if you get offered a job that is too good to be true---BEWARE. Because if it sounds too good to be true, it is probable a scam. Maybe someone is trying to steal your money or they may offer you a job and before you realize what is going on you are caught up in an internet swindle that could get you arrested and prosecuted.
Certain local police departments are pulling drivers over and giving them gift cards for being “good drivers.” On the surface this sounds like a great idea, especially at Christmas time. It has been suggested that I am not a very trusting person and perhaps that is the truth. However, when I hear about police pulling drivers over to give them gift cards for safe driving, it gives me pause. What is to prevent a police officer from using the gift card for good drivers as a pretense to stop a car that the officer would not otherwise have probable cause to stop. Once the car is stopped the officer can arrest the driver for anything illegal that is in plain sight or smelt.
Imagine that your college age child is in a car with friends that is pulled over by a police officer. Once the police make everyone exit the car, they find illegal drugs on the floorboard of the car. If none of the occupants of the car will admit to the ownership of the drugs, everyone in the car will be arrested for possession of illegal drugs. It does not matter that your child has never used illegal drugs on his or her life. You are still going to find yourself bonding them out of jail in the middle of the night. So be vigilant in finding out who your child’s friends are. It really does matter.
A lot of people are not aware that it is illegal to carry your prescription drugs on you unless they are in the original bottle and the prescription information is legible. If you are searched and the police officer find the prescription pills in a plain bottle, it is likely that you will be arrested for illegal possession of drugs. While you ultimately will be able to get the charges dismissed, by then you will probably have already had to pay a bondsman to bail you out of jail and hire an attorney.
