Busted!

I had an unplanned encounter with a Craighead County Sheriff’s Deputy this morning.

(Notice I said Sheriff’s Deputy and not Sheriff. There is only one Sheriff in a county. The guys on road patrol are deputies.)

I was southbound on a county road, stopped at a rural traffic light intersection behind a truck.

When the light changed, the truck crept forward, apparently going through a bunch of gears very slowly – slowly enough that I was starting to get uncomfortably warm, despite my mesh riding jacket.

I peered around him and saw a car approaching about a quarter-mile distant – plenty of time to whack the throttle and zip around him, taking a calculated risk that there were no police around to notice I was doing this on a double-yellow line.

A short distance later, I slowed for a four-way stop and realized I guessed wrong because there was a Sheriff’s Department SUV behind me with flashing blue lights.

I was polite, friendly and contrite and hoped my gray hair and advanced age (70 next month) would be mitigating factors. The deputy was friendly but firm and wrote me a ticket for improper passing. He said I would have to call the court to find out how much this will cost me.

I have mixed emotions about the whole affair. I hate parting with money for being stupid, but it’s reassuring to know I still have a bit of the irresponsible kid left in me.