A case of mistaken identity left a Columbus, Ohio, woman in legal limbo, but she’s finally breathing easy.
Nekia Jones said she was surprised to learn her driver’s license was suspended earlier this year due to unpaid child support. The problem is Jones doesn’t have any kids.
Nekia Jones said she’s tired of getting the run around from the courts. She’s still without a license. (ABC 6 / video screenshot)
ABC 6 was there Wednesday as the young woman appeared in court to settle the months-long battle to get her driver’s license back. Jones’ troubles started back in July when she was ticketed for not wearing a seat belt. When she showed up to court to pay the fine, a bailiff told her she was being charged for driving under suspension and failure to pay child support.
A visibly frustrated Jones made her case before judge Wednesday, detailing the countless trips she made to court hoping to have the issue resolved only to be met with “rude and nasty remarks” from administrators. She was tired of the runaround, she said.
“It took for ABC6, for me to call ABC6 and get them involved,” she told the judge. “It took for me to call them to even get a response from anyone … all the time that I put in, the money to get to court, the days I took off.”
After a little digging by ABC6 investigators, there was finally some movement in the case. Court administrators are now working to help Jones straighten things out after her prior outstanding traffic violations caused a mix up, not to mention a boat-load of paper work and a warrant for her arrest, according to the station.
“Why am I going through this? Why’s this going on?,” Jones said earlier this week. “If there is no child, there’s no father, and you don’t have a social, DNA or anything matching me to a child to pay child support.”
Court administrators initially said the violation Jones was charged with does fall under the designation for failure to pay child support, but noted that it could indicate a number of other violations as well. However, Jones learned in court Wednesday that all she has to do now is pay a few fines and court fees and she’ll be able to get her license back.
“All the charges are dropped, any charges, past charges, any past fines. All of that will be dropped,” she told the station, adding that having the case resolved feels like a weight has been lifted off of her. “It’s a big relief.”
Gone are the days of taking off work and relying on family, friends and Uber to drive her where she needs to go. Jones has a court date set for Oct. 15 and said as long as she comes with her license and proof she paid the fines, she’ll be in the clear.
Watch more in the video below.
