Troy Police Arrest The 'Traveler'

TROY, MI — Troy Police recently had a close encounter of the strangest kind with a “traveler.” While on patrol shortly before midnight on July 6, a Troy officer stopped a 2003 Ford Explorer on northbound Coolidge Highway at W. Big Beaver Road for a vehicle equipment violation.

The brake lights were not working properly, and the driver was also talking on her cell phone, a no-no in Troy. After making the stop, the officer asked the 28-year-old Detroit woman for her driver’s license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance. The driver indicated she was a “traveler” and did not have to provide the officer with the requested information, according to Troy Police reports.

The officer asked her what she meant by traveler. The driver told the officer that “traveling” is how one would travel on a horse. The police officer reminded that she was operating a motor vehicle, and not a horse. When she was informed she was required to provide her driver’s license, she requested a supervisor be sent to the location because she knew her rights and she was not read her Miranda Rights.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Troy Patch, click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

A police supervisor arrived at the scene and the Detroit woman was ordered out of the vehicle and was promptly arrested. Police reports said she continued to be uncooperative as she was transported to the Troy Police lock-up facility where she was processed.

After a brief investigation, officers discovered that she was driving on an expired license. The “Traveler” was charged with Distracted Driving, Hinder and Obstruction of a Police Officer, Driving with an Expired Operator’s License, and No Vehicle Insurance.

File photo