During a video name from Orlando Vazquez’s Florida house, he appeared visibly relieved to have his driving nightmare lastly within the rearview mirror.
“It’s a big weight off my shoulders,” he informed me. “Honestly, man, I’m just grateful to have you help me.”
More than two years in the past, Vazquez received a letter that warned him his Florida driver’s license was about to be suspended for failing to pay a $365 violation in Massachusetts.
According to the quotation, police clocked Vazquez going greater than 30 miles per hour over the pace restrict alongside Interstate 495 close to Lawrence.
Vazquez mentioned he had by no means set foot in Massachusetts and figured it will be a straightforward mistake to right—a vital step as a result of the truck driver relies on a clear CDL report for his livelihood.
But he couldn’t get anybody to hear. Vazquez reached out to the NBC10 Investigators as a result of he noticed how we’d helped other drivers facing unfair license suspensions through the early months of the pandemic.
When we first linked in 2020, Vazquez defined his alibi: doorbell video that exhibits him coming and going from his house the identical evening he was supposedly rushing on the freeway greater than 1,300 miles away.
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According to cybercrime professional Steve Weisman, somebody probably used a license with Vazquez’s stolen id as a result of they’re comparatively low cost and straightforward to acquire on-line.
“If they get pulled over or arrested, they provide that identity and then skip bail,” Weisman defined. “And suddenly, there is an arrest warrant out for the real person whose identity has been stolen.”
Weisman mentioned if one thing like that occurs to you, it’s a good suggestion to work along with your native district legal professional’s workplace to acquire a letter that you may carry with you always.
It basically lets police know that you simply’ve been a sufferer of id theft, and simply because there’s a warrant in your identify, to not assume it’s the identical individual.
After listening to Vazquez’s story, we contacted the Massachusetts RMV and the company mentioned it will hit the brakes on the suspension till the Florida driver obtained an opportunity to argue his case.
Following the COVID-related backlog, Vazquez lastly obtained his digital day in court docket and a clerk Justice of the Peace dismissed the case.
“I’m thankful you guys were willing to listen to my problem,” Vazquez mentioned. “It’s been a rough ride.”
Ryan Kath will be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter or connect on Facebook.