Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier has suspended license ticket dismissed
Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier had a charge of driving with a suspended license dismissed in Ann Arbor district court earlier this week.
Forcier was ticketed for running a red light in June and paid a $130 fine in July. At the time, he also was cited for driving with a suspended license over two unresolved traffic tickets in California.
Senior assistant city attorney Robert West said suspended license charges often are dismissed once the underlying tickets are resolved.
Forcier’s California’s tickets remain outstanding and his driver’s license is still suspended, but West said “its not unusual that I would dismiss the ticket under circumstances like this.”
“It’s getting old, he can’t resolve his underlying suspension (without returning to California), he paid his stop-light ticket and he doesn’t have a history of doing this,” West said. “It’s not because of who he is or what he is.”
Forcier has thrown for 1,027 yards and nine touchdowns this year. He'll make his eighth career start Saturday when Michigan (5-2, 1-2) hosts 13th-ranked Penn State (6-1, 2-1). Game time is 3:30 p.m. (ABC-TV)
Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
Comments
Danny
Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 11:22 p.m.
Hey ZULU and friends, If you have never been issued a warning, warning ticket or such then I guess you always wer stopped by officiers of the law who always went by the book. No mercy, no empathy sounds like some third world hell hole or maybe China. In principle you are right, however it happens every day in every town in America. Not just football towns either. That's life in a free country. Commom sense prevails. I can remember receiving a pass when I was younger and I got the message. Which is really what we are all after.
15crown00
Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 10:52 a.m.
bet if it was u or me we wouldn't have got off.Iunderstand it happens but that doesn't make it right.
KeepingItReal
Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 5:03 a.m.
Hey Danny, we're not talking about tirvial pursuit here, we're talking about the equal application of the law or does it matter...or should the law be applied only in specified situations...or if you are a young white male football star and break the law, you get a free pass? Tell this to the many young men who are presently incarcerated in Washtenaw County jail on very similar charges that "oh give him a break, he's under a lot of pressure? There is no wonder so many of these young men have no respect for the law when they see the hypocritical manner in which it is applied.
Danny
Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 4:55 p.m.
Hey ZULU, Go with the flow and let Robert West do his job. If you want to become asst. District Attorney run for office. Tate is under tremendous pressurwe from all angles and doesn't need more. Let's see how he handles himself now that he has been given a pass. Probable not the first pass that has been handed out in Ann Arbor? Danny
KeepingItReal
Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 4:35 p.m.
Has any of you ever been stopped in Ann Arbor or the State of Michigan and had a suspended license because of an unpaid ticket due to a moving violation such as running a stop light? If you have, the following action usually occurs: (1) you are notified by the specific jurisdiction in the County where you received the ticket and the state of Michigan Secretary of State Office, that your license will be suspended according to state law by a certain date and a warrant will be issued for your arrest if you fail to pay the ticket by the posted date; (2) if you pay the ticket before you are stopped, the suspension will be lifted and the warrant will be removed from your record (3)if you fail to pay the ticket by the specified date, you are assessed points on your driver license and, a warrant is issued for your arrest;(4) If you are stopped during the period of the unpaid ticket, you are usually arrested...you have to post a bond to be released from jail and the fines are usually increased. I know of some individuals who were arrested for this exact same reason and had to be bonded out of jail in addition to paying all of the fines associated with the offense and in some instances serve community service time. It is surprising to me that Tater was not arrested for this offense. Since Tater still has the unpaid moving violations in California, is he still allowed to drive in the State of MIchigan? I find the City Attorney's explanation and action absolutely amazing. If I am ever in this situation, I surely hope that City Attorney Robert West extends the same courtesy to me, a regular everyday, Joe Blow, taxpaying Citizens of Ann Arbor.
Txmaizenblue
Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 3:47 p.m.
If he drives like dodges defenders its no wonder he has 3 tickets... Give the kid a break - he has no "stop" switch
J rodz
Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 11 a.m.
really? going into the kid's personal background?
Victors Valiant
Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 10:47 a.m.
Watch out! Rosenberg and the Free Press may do an undercover expose into this story about Tate. In fact, I bet they will just to pull more viewers to the rag it calls a newspaper.
UMFAN22
Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 10:42 a.m.
What kind of story is this?? Can't find anything else on RR so you are now "breaking" non-stories on Tate?