NYPD: Man said he'd 'rather go to jail' than hand over license after excessive tint stop

Print

By John M. Annese/Staten Island Advance Staten Island Advance
Follow on Twitter
on November 05, 2013 at 11:05 AM, updated November 05, 2013 at 11:08 AM

Email

Joel H. Caruth, 35, West Brighton, was driving a gray 2003 Nissan sedan when police stopped him on the corner of Cary Avenue and Caroline Street, according to police.Advance file photo

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A West Brighton motorist told police he'd "rather go to jail" than hand over his license, authorities allege, after police stopped him for excessive tint on his car over the weekend.
So the officers obliged him.
Joel H. Caruth, 35, of the 500 block of Cary Avenue, was driving a gray 2003 Nissan sedan when police stopped him on the corner of Cary and Caroline Street at about 7:15 p.m., according to police.
"I'm not giving you my license. I'd rather go to jail," he allegedly told police, according to a law enforcement source.
Police charged him with second-degree obstruction of government administration, a misdemeanor, according to information from District Attorney Daniel Donovan's office.
He was arraigned Sunday in Stapleton Criminal Court and released on his own recognizance until his next court date on Jan. 10.