Brew day put off....I got arrested.

So I've been extremely anxious to get started with brewing for a few months now, and due to funds and some unfortunate events, it's been put off. But here's a story from this past weekend that I thought you might find interesting .

I bought my first kit from my LHBS Friday night. A Heffewizen recipe called "Yellow Brick Road". Just an extract, but I figure I need to take my baby steps before jumping into all grain. Anyway, with the majority of the equipment purchased, there was just one last piece to buy, a 60qt pot.

So excited as I was to get started I figured that I'd let everything soak in sanitizer while I left for the store. On my way to the free way (a block from my house) I was pulled over by the police. It was my stupid fault, I knew that I had expired tags, but just figured that I'd get a fix-it ticket for it.

To my surprise, it turned out that I had a $15,000 warrant for driving on a suspended license over a year ago. An issue that I had made sure to clear up In court shortly thereafter, so this was completely a clerical error. I tried to explain this to the police, but of course, they couldn't care less and had the "save it for the judge" mentality.

So I was taken downtown to the local county jail, and was booked along side some pretty hardened criminals talking about "slamming heroin" and discussing various gang activities. A couple of them were actually there because the night before they'd gotten into a shootout with the police. Needless to say, I was less than pleased with my position. To make matters worse, when they sent officers to take me back to the jail of my hometown...the two officers who picked me up were a couple of guys that I went to elementary school, middle school and high school with and knew but didn't associate too much with. So....as you could imagine, it was a pretty embarrassing situation.

Anyway, to wrap it up...they had planned on keeping me in there till today, and i wasn't about to call my work on a collect call from jail, so I had to give up $1,500 just to get out.

One thing that really worries me is that my equipment was soaking in sanitizer all weekend...and now all of it has this amber tint to it. Do you think it's ruined? or just extra clean?

I should be finally brewing tonight...and I've decided to call the beer "Prisonweizen". It's just an extract as I said, but I'll post pictures just for the hell of it. Maybe I'll turn my mugshot into a label

****....Jail isn't good.
Your kit is still good though.

That is the worst luck, but one of the funniest stories that I have heard in awhile

So I am guessing you don't get your bail back even if you were arrested on a clerical error, but I dont know that much about that part of the judicial system... (luckily...) $1,500 would have gotten you nice and on your way to an AG system.

I hope your brew turns out alright. I take it if it had a yellowish tint you were using iodophor sanitizer, in which case the staining is nothing and you shouldnt have to worry about it. I would start working on those mugshot labels though, they sound like a pretty bad ass idea

deathweed said:

That is the worst luck, but one of the funniest stories that I have heard in awhile

So I am guessing you don't get your bail back even if you were arrested on a clerical error, but I dont know that much about that part of the judicial system... (luckily...) $1,500 would have gotten you nice and on your way to an AG system.

I hope your brew turns out alright. I take it if it had a yellowish tint you were using iodophor sanitizer, in which case the staining is nothing and you shouldnt have to worry about it. I would start working on those mugshot labels though, they sound like a pretty bad ass idea

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Well I'm going to try my best to fight it in court and at least get part of the 1,500 back...but chances are I will get none. Yeah....yeah i know 1,500 would've been the start of a nice AG system....(DAMNIT!) I'll have one soon enough though.

Good to hear that my equipment is still safe, that would have just been the icing on the cake if it was all ruined.

As far as the labels...Sounds like it's a must...so look out for those in the very near future....nothing like a good self depreciating joke.

If you're using Iodophor, the amber tinting is normal and no problem.

That sucks about getting arrested. I had something similar happen to me when I was in my early 20's. I got 3 speeding tickets in one year and had to take driver retraining, which was just a bunch of people telling stories about why we had to take the class...

I took the class a couple days late and my license was suspended. When I got my license reinstated the next day I was given written confirmation by the DMV. Knowing that the people at the DMV are so slow as to give slackers everywhere a bad name, I decided to carry that confirmation as well as the receipt from the driver retraining class with me. I got pulled over later that week for no particular reason(I was living at UCONN at the time and randomly pulling students over was the cops' favorite activity) and of course my license was still showing up as suspended, the only reason they didn't haul me down to the station was because I had all the paperwork proving my license was valid with me. The cop even laughed and said that he knows the people at DMV typically have their heads up their a$$es and take forever to file things properly...

Prisonweizen. :rockin:

That sucks that all that happened to you, but you made it through and now you get to brew, so that's good.

c.n.budz said:

If you're using Iodophor, the amber tinting is normal and no problem.

That sucks about getting arrested. I had something similar happen to me when I was in my early 20's. I got 3 speeding tickets in one year and had to take driver retraining, which was just a bunch of people telling stories about why we had to take the class...

I took the class a couple days late and my license was suspended. When I got my license reinstated the next day I was given written confirmation by the DMV. Knowing that the people at the DMV are so slow as to give slackers everywhere a bad name, I decided to carry that confirmation as well as the receipt from the driver retraining class with me. I got pulled over later that week for no particular reason(I was living at UCONN at the time and randomly pulling students over was the cops' favorite activity) and of course my license was still showing up as suspended, the only reason they didn't haul me down to the station was because I had all the paperwork proving my license was valid with me. The cop even laughed and said that he knows the people at DMV typically have their heads up their a$$es and take forever to file things properly...

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haha..awe man..you got lucky though. There are very few things I've experienced that are worse than being stuck in jail...even for the short time I was there. Even if you've done nothing to deserve being there..they treat you like an animal...the bastards.

I'm actually 23...so I guess I'm in that life lesson stage....and well...lesson learned.

The Beer Baron said:

haha..awe man..you got lucky though...

...I'm actually 23...so I guess I'm in that life lesson stage....and well...lesson learned.

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Yeah, I think the cop didn't want the hassle of filling out the paperwork for something that was obviously a DMV mistake, usually the Uconn cops enjoyed nothing more than busting peoples balls.

The lesson to learn from this: Never trust state agencies to properly file paperwork on your behalf

wow, I'd hate to laugh at another's misfortune... but that is kinda funny, altho I'm sure being on the receiving end of it all I'd be fuming....

esp the loss of $1500

BraeHaus said:

wow, I'd hate to laugh at another's misfortune... but that is kinda funny, altho I'm sure being on the receiving end of it all I'd be fuming....

esp the loss of $1500

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yeah man...not a fun experience. But I'm out now...and I'll be brewing tonight so just like ohiobrewtus said..."i made it through and now i get to brew...so that's good"

deathweed said:

So I am guessing you don't get your bail back even if you were arrested on a clerical error, but I dont know that much about that part of the judicial system... (luckily...) $1,500 would have gotten you nice and on your way to an AG system.

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That's not how bail works.

Wikipedia said:

Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court in order to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail (and be guilty of the crime of failure to appear). In most cases bail money will be returned at the end of the trial, if all court appearances are made, no matter whether the person is found guilty or not guilty of the crime accused.

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flowerysong said:

That's not how bail works.

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ahh, well there is some relief.

I know someone that was arrested for resisting arrest (only cops have this kind of logic), it was eventually thrown out but it cost a lot of money for lawyers and stuff.

Did anybody notice the name of the beer kit... "Yellow Brick Road"..?

Hmm.., right there was a sign of trouble ahead!

Well, you are back with us, safe. Thats' something.

The Beer Baron said:

So I was taken downtown to the local county jail, and was booked along side some pretty hardened

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The Beer Baron said:

One thing that really worries me is that my equipment was soaking in sanitizer all weekend...and now all of it has this amber tint to it. Do you think it's ruined? or just extra clean?

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Hell, If I had spent a night at the county jail with hardened criminals I'm not so sure my first worry would've been the color tint of my brew gear (I''m pretty sure it woul'd have been "do NOT bend over", but that's just me...).

The hat's off, man! -:rockin:

I think you need to rename your kit "Prunoweizen".

flowerysong said:

That's not how bail works.

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unfortunately though...my bail was $15,000. If I had the $15,000 to hand over knowing I'd just get it back after trial, that's what I would've done. But I'm not at that point in my financial life yet, so I had to go through a bail bondsman. In which case, you pay them 10% ($1,500) and they put the money up. I'm pretty sure you don't get the money back when you go through a bondsman. But I'm hoping that I can fight the matter in court to get at least some of it back.

beergears said:

Did anybody notice the name of the beer kit... "Yellow Brick Road"..?

Hmm.., right there was a sign of trouble ahead!

Well, you are back with us, safe. Thats' something.

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HAHA! wow...the irony. I didn't even notice that. Well hopefully I'll be able to move into AG soon and not even have to deal with extracts and their cursed names anymore. It'll be Homebrewtalk recipes only. I think I see Ed's Haus Pale Ale in my near future

The Beer Baron said:

...One thing that really worries me is that my equipment was soaking in sanitizer all weekend...Do you think it's ruined? or just extra clean...

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Worried about your brew gear...at least you had your priorities straight...

beergears said:

Did anybody notice the name of the beer kit... "Yellow Brick Road"..?...

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HEY!!! You're not a wizard...you're a JUDGE!!!!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

You'll get your bail $$$ back after seeing the judge. I've been through it before with my brothers.
Prison ***** Wheat has a ring to it...

I hate to say this, but I think you need to get your priorities in order...

beergears said:

Did anybody notice the name of the beer kit... "Yellow Brick Road"..?

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He could have just clicked his heels together three times and gotten home without making bail.

Actually, clicking your heels together in jail is probably a bad idea...unless you want to spend the rest of your jail term wearing heels.

BlindLemonLars said:

He could have just clicked his heels together three times and gotten home without making bail.

Actually, clicking your heels together in jail is probably a bad idea...unless you want to spend the rest of your jail term wearing heels.

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hahaha...yes...very very good point

"Don't drop the soap hefe"

Anyways When you pay a bond company ten percent to bail you out, you probably won't see that money again. That's their fee for taking on the responsibility you will get your butt to court. Now if you had paid the court 15,000 you would get it back minus court costs, restitution etc. when you showed up for your court date.