Stan L.

Thank you, thanks for providing a badge that allow those, 'in the know' to share our commitment to embracing a clean and sober lifestyle. July 18th, 2024 will begin (the Good Lord willing) year five of a clean and drunk free existence. My story is not unlike many others, I was tired of being a six-pack a day guy and know I needed to change. In March of '20, my Father was diagnosed with a terminal illness. On his birthday, of that year, I had finished up at work and raced off to the market for my customary after-work beverages. I had a couple of errands to run so I opened a 'roady' (while driving, of course) and began to check items off the chore list. As I was in the spin cycle of addiction, I had allowed the registration of the license plates on my vehicle to lapse. Going about the afternoon, I was horrified to see a State Patrol vehicle (at a distance) behind me. The Officer did, in fact, have a plate reader on his vehicle and he did, in fact hit me with the reda and blues. Thankfully, I passed the roadside sobriety test. I received a ticket for an open container in the vehicle and lack of proof of registration. What kept running through my mind as LE conducted the stop was, 'My Father is dying and I'm going to jail'. Oh, the day I was pulled over was his birthday. My Father did pass in December of that year. That State Patrolman quite probably saved my life and far more importantly probably saved the life of someone else. The Good Lord truly works in mysterious ways. Thanks again for what you do, I wear your gear with pride.