A very young man was driving east on Ridge Road Monday evening. Suddenly, there were flashing lights in his rear view mirror. He dejectedly pulled into a large parking lot and turned off the engine. The officer slowly got out of his car and walked with flashlight in hand to the perpetrator’s car. I rolled down my window and he introduced himself as Officer Dobson of The Littleton Police Department. He asked to see the usual ID’s and said that I had not come to a complete stop at the corner of Ridge and Apache. The young cop returned his car to run a driving history and I was certain a ticket would be issued soon. When he returned, he said my driving record was notable with my last ticket being in 1974…..long before he’d been born. Officer Dobson did ask me to step out of the car in the twenty-six degree weather. He looked bemused when he discovered that I was clad in tennis shorts and that my head was adorned with two baseball caps with a black stocking cap on top. ‘I’m afraid that you’re going to have to take some sobriety tests sir. Your attire makes me suspect you’ve had more than one adult beverage.’ I walked the line, followed his finger from side to side, and then took a breathalyzer test. Passing all three tests, the officer decided to let the young tennis pro off with just a warning. Thanking the officer, I returned to my car and slowly drove away with a commitment to stop fully from now on. Luck was riding with me as this was the third warning in five years for the same California stops that have become all too common. So…..save yourself the embarrassment and come to a full stop unless you want to meet Officer Dobson.
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