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Assistant Chief Wonders Why Constable Pulled Him Over
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Last Thursday I was driving down Burt Burgen Road when I noticed a gold colored car behind me. This car was right on my bumper so I sped up to put some distance between us but as I sped up so did he. Not knowing what he wanted I sped up even faster. Just as I thought I finally got some distance between us he was right behind me again, on my bumper while I was doing 70+ MPH, except this time he turned his blue lights on, no siren, just the blue light on his dashboard. Being an officer of the Mooretown VFD I knew something was not right as all emergency personnel are trained on running emergency traffic and he should have known that he would need to run his siren along with his lights. Regardless, I pulled over. Looking into my rearview mirror I noticed he was taking a picture of the back of my vehicle which has emergency plates, lights and siren and is completely compliant with state laws. The driver of the gold car approached me and said “Mr. George, I just want to let you know that I have the power of the law behind me.” Not sure what he was talking about I congratulated him on that achievement. He did not ask for my driver’s license or proof of insurance. The problem here is I am not “Mr. George.” I am Jesse Laxton, Assistant Chief, Mooretown VFD. I can only assume that he thought I was Mr. Micheal George, Chief, Mooretown VFD. It turns out that the person who pulled me over is a constable here in Cannon County. I am curious as to why he pulled me over and if in fact he has the ability to do so. I am also curious, if he was initiating an official traffic stop, why didn’t he run my plates and know I wasn’t who he thought I was? I am hoping our county commissioners can shed some light on the roles and responsibilities of the constables and if in fact he was within his means to pull me over. Thank you, JESSE LAXTON Assistant Chief Mooretown VFD
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