Legal...driving a vehicle under a restricted driving permit in illinois?

[erwin]

as i was en route from my home in illinois to the shop i work at, i had to drop off my nephew for a court appearance in henry county court, a deputy ran my plates and pulled me over to arrest me for operating a vehicle. i violated no traffic laws, but the officer still ran my plates and then pulled me over to arrest me stating that i was operating a vehicle outside of range of what i was allowed to. i informed him that i was en route to the shop i worked at and was still arrested and charged with felony driving under suspension. my formal hearing to restore full driving privileges had been scheduled to appear within less than 2 weeks from the time of this arrest thus my hearing had to be canceled due to not being able to have a hearing due to a pending charge now. to the best of my knowledge, my permit does not state which route i must travel to and from work and states that i am allowed to travel within a 20 mile radius for employment purposes. during this past year of driving on this restricted permit, i have not broken any laws concerning my driving, not even a parking ticket. i've done everything required by the state to see that i can be eligible for full reinstatement of driving privileges, but my 11 mile detour en route to the shop is going to hang me out to dry and destroy everything i've worked for, for the last 10 years if this charge sticks. i seriously need some help on this one...

[aingeni]

So, you screwed up. What do you expect anyone on this forum to do for you?

[ezri]

RDP usually only covers driving to work or school; sometimes exceptions are made for driving yourself or relatives to medical appointments. These privileges may also be granted to those who drive as part of their employment.

When you drive to work or school, that means the most direct route, not going out of your way to drop off your nephew on an 11 mile detour. So you can't claim you did everything required of you by the state.

Since you have a felony charge now, you are looking at a fine of up to $25,000 and a term of up to seven years in prison.

I'd suggest your consult an attorney immediately.

[favian]

First off, I'm not an attorney, but it sounds like you were doing everything you should have been doing. So I hope you are fighting this in court. My only concern is if you were allowed to have passengers in the car with a permit. Something else to ask, what reason did the officer give for pulling you over in the first place? I would bring that up in court because if you were driving within the speed limit, following traffic laws, and generally not giving any reason to be pulled over, why were you? Play up the innocense card here. Dont get cocky because judges probably get that all day long. If you get a choice pick an early court appearance. I've always felt, when meeting for court or dealing with any branch of government, go early because by the end of the day, they're probably so irritated by the idiots in the world that you look like just another punk. So show up early for court, dress appropriately, and be honest. Also, most cops hate getting dragged into court, so if (s)he doesn't show, I'm pretty sure it gets dissmissed.