Generally being on good behavior for a court appearance means wearing a nice outfit and remembering to tuck in your shirt. For one South Floridian, however, it should also mean not repeating the same crime you're appearing in front of a judge for.
The Sun Sentinel reports that Timothy Paul Shelby, a 53-year-old from Bradenton, was arrested on Friday after allegedly driving away from a courthouse without a license -- immediately after his hearing for a prior charge of driving without a license.
Deputy Charles Butler -- the very same officer who had detained Shelby for his first count of licenseless driving -- reportedly saw the Floridian motoring away from the Manatee County Judicial Center after his hearing, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The deputy then ran the man's name and determined that, yup, Shelby still did not have a current license to operate his vehicle.
When Butler pulled Shelby over, the man allegedly admitted that he still did not have his license, but was "working on getting things straightened out with Indiana," the state where the his motor privileges had been suspended in 2010.
The defendant reportedly said that it was necessary that he drive because he had to go to work after his court appearance.
The deputy arrested Shelby, and the man was charged with driving while his license was suspended, second or subsequent offense. As of 2011, the second offense for driving without a license in Florida was classified as a first-degree misdemeanor.
The defendant was reportedly a habitual traffic offender in Indiana.
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