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Wed: Garrett Perdue in Court
posted at 2009-08-19 14:23 | Last modified 2009-08-19 22:39
An alert reader let me know that Governor Bev Perdue's son Garrett, a lobbyist with Womble Carlyle, is due in Wake County court Sept 30th for speeding in a school zone and driving with a revoked license. To see the record, click here and enter the citation number 99E0818.
I reached Perdue at his Raleigh office to ask him what happened. He wasn’t exactly thrilled to discuss it (who can blame him?), but in the end, here’s what he told me.
Perdue says he was in Mecklenburg County late in 2008, driving a Toyota 4-runner that wasn't his. The tags were expired, which he says he didn’t realize. He says he was pulled over and ticketed for the expired tags.
According to Perdue, he paid the fine, but there was a “miscommunication with the Clerk of Court" about the total amount owed. “Kind of embarrassing,” he added, “since I’m a lawyer.” So he stayed on the court record as owing money.
In the meantime, Perdue says, his family moved from West Raleigh to Cary, and he says notices from the Mecklenburg DMV were not finding their way to his new address. The case went to court, but he says he didn’t get the forwarded mail from the Mecklenburg Clerk. “The case came up. I wasn’t there.” So the court revoked his license. He says he didn’t find out about that, either.
As for the current offense, Perdue says it happened early one morning several months ago on Lake Boone Trail near Ridge Rd in Raleigh. He says he says he was going 42 in a 35, but didn’t realize it was an active 25-mph school zone (the school had previously been under construction). When the officer pulled him over, Perdue got a ticket for speeding in a school zone, and the officer informed him that his license was suspended.
“Not a very good morning,” Perdue said wryly.
Perdue says local attorney Hart Miles handled the case. Perdue says he paid his court costs and is “in the process of completing 20 hours of community service,” working with “Step Up Ministry,” a program run by local churches, helping people transition back into the workforce from unemployment or incarceration.
“At the end of the day, it’s been a pretty good thing,” Perdue said. “Before this, I didn’t know the program existed.” He says he’s hoping to continue volunteering there after his case is settled – “if they’ll have me.”
Will he get his license back? We'll find out September 30th.
Comments? Drop me a line.
