A Georgia man has been fighting for months to get his driver’s license back after he was accused of committing a crime in a state he’s never visited.
Justin Jones said he was hit with a DUI charge in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that was apparently filed on Christmas Eve 2005, WSB-TV reported.
“I received a letter in the mail, the beginning of October, that my license was suspended. That was a surprise,” Jones said.
“Never been to New Mexico, never driven through New Mexico. I’ve never even stepped foot in the state off a plane,” Jones said.
Jones, a high school administrator in Carroll County, thought he could visit the Georgia Department of Driver Services to straighten everything out, only to find himself in a lengthy battle to clear the charges against him.
To DDS, he sent a stamped and sealed document from a New Mexico court clerk confirming that he has no convictions in the state; however, the agency stated that he had to go further.
The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department also sent a letter to DDS stating:
“This letter certifies that he does not currently have any holds on his driving record within our state. Furthermore, it is essential to clarify that the record under review pertains to a different individual who shares a similar name and date of birth.”
Yet, the Georgia DDS still refused to reinstate Jones’ license.
“Me and my wife celebrated before I left the house. When I got back, I was kind of defeated because I was still suspended,” Jones said.
Jones hasn’t been able to legally drive for two months.
In a statement to WSB-TV, Georgia DDS said, “New Mexico DMV sent the DUI electronically to the DDS and it was added to his record … We contacted NM and requested they submit a negate to correct their error. Once the negate is received from them, then the DUI will be removed by DDS.”
Jones said the DUI was filed the day after his 21st birthday. The now-41-year-old recalled that he was home from college, celebrating the occasion and not in New Mexico.
“I’m just hoping to get someone who can get to yes, you know? Somebody who has some common sense to say, ‘You know what, this person is not the same person. Let’s lift this suspension,’” Jones said.
