No Sir, We Don't Have Any Drugs In the Car...

South Dakota State Trooper

Outside of Sioux City, South Dakota

So after we hit the Corn Palace at 6:15 this morning we hit the road!  Yay South Dakota!  We got our coffees and headed out on the road  - onward to St. Louis.  Birdie was first to drive and I was tired so...So I grabbed the pillow and leaned the seat back.  I was happy that I was the first one that got to nap - and it was only 6:45 AM so I was good to go!  I had been napping for a good 20 minutes (had already woke myself up a few times snoring) when I felt the car slow down and moving to the side.  I leaned up and forward and  looked around.  "Oh no" Birdie said sadly.  "Are we getting pulled over?" I asked groggily.  "Yes"! she said.  "Oh" I said as I hit the lever to sit my car seat upright.

Next thing I know there is a tank of a man beside my window which I was already rolling down.  We went through the whole "I'm pulling you over for speeding, blah blah blah" thing and he immediately told us that Bird was doing 68 in a 65 and that he would be issuing her a warning.  Whewwwww!  right?  So he gets her license and asked for registration, etc.  Then he says that he needs her to step out of her vehicle and come back to his cruiser so he can show her the radar gun and write the ticket.  I didn't really thing too much about this - she looked terrified - I told her it would be fine and off she goes.

We Pass the K-9 Test...

So off Bird goes and the cop tells her that the dog - which is locked in the back seat - is "going to freak out when you open the door to get in" - Gee? Really?  Thanks.  So he shows her the radar, writes her the warning ticket and proceeds to ask her if she has any drugs or anything else in the car to cause the dog to alarm him.  "No...but I do have a shot gun".  To which he basically tells her, "I'm not worried about that".  Alriiiiight.  Side Note:  We have a 20 single barrel under the car seat that she is bringing to Michigan for her little brother's 13th birthday gift.  It is not loaded, has no ammunition with it and is perfectly being carried legally.  Just sayin'.

Yep.  That's an Official Warning!

Bird comes back to the car and off we go.  No worries, right?  Wrong.  Bird is clearly upset and weirded out.  She is still gobsmacked as to why she got pulled over in the first place.  And I have no good words of wisdom other than to keep repeating, "At least he only gave you a warning".  Granted, I KNOW that was not very comforting.

My Mother's Worst Case Scenario

Reality!