Someone driving without license and insurance and is felon on probation

[Camelknees33]

No it is NOT me.

I have a nonChristian friend who got into this relationship with a felon who is on probation.
He cannot get a license, yet he somehow bought himself a car. The paperwork is in my friend's
name, and there is NO insurance on it. Not only is she driving the car, but HE is driving the car!!!
If he gets caught, he could go back to prison--which I feel is where he belongs.

My dilemma: Should I call the local authorities and inform them of this?
I want too, but I am not sure if it is right. Should I let God deal with it?
I want to call, but I feel I might be playing "God" by injecting myself into the issue.
Since she told me about this yesterday, I have been praying he gets caught.

Thanks for any advice. I am praying about what to do.

In Him,

[IMSAVED]

I think that I would let God handle this.And what happens is God's will and for his Glory.I have to be careful sometimes not to get in God's way.Their are alot of people on the road now without insurance and drivers license.My insurance agent said that is one of the issues that is driving up the cost of insurance.

[Tall Timbers]

I don't feel it's my place to tell you what to do about this, but your friend is committing a crime here and could end up in jail herself. I'm trying to put myself in your place. I guess that unless I had reason to believe that the felon's driving was potentially endangering the public I'd stay out of it.

[Hootmon]

I guess that unless I had reason to believe that the felon's driving was potentially endangering the public I'd stay out of it.

This.

If the felony was for reckless endangerment or some other crime that implies a disregard for the safety of others, then I would report it.

If it was for writing bad checks, then not so much.

[Shannon9602]

I was with an ex felon once... YES! Let God handle it. He will get caught!! Those type of people seem to think they are untouchable and continue to do whatever illegal and sinful stuff. Ridiculous!

As far as your friend..... I agree with TT.

[Raphael]

It is unlikely that the police would stake out their driveway and try to apprehend the felon driving without insurance (unless there are other things for which he is already being watched).

Nonetheless, if the felon is a drug user this could create (further) complications for your friend if he stashed drugs in the car and she was stopped while driving it.

[Wally]

In PA, the owner is responsible for the car. If no insurance, then there is not only a criminal issue, but a personal liability issue, few can afford it.

[Raphael]

Good point about varying State laws. Your friend could be buying herself unneeded trouble.

[Joseph The Carpenter]

If the court took his license most likely his felony has to do with driving,what if he hurts someone?

In my state you cannot get plates without insurance.
Most all police cars today have plate scanners and they will be caught soon.

[Shannon9602]

If this ex felon is driving the car which is under your friends name get in a car accident which kills the other driver, your friend will be responsible for the death of that driver, not the ex felon. Because the car is under her name and she allowed him to drive without license and insurance. She can get into a BIG TROUBLE in situation like that.

[Tiger Lily]

I just called the California Highway Patrol and asked if our driving/car ownership laws are similar to Oregon's and he said they were similar. I read part of your post to the officer and we discussed some of the below matters:

The officer seemed to think you should call and report it. He said they get a lot of calls like that and also said that it is helpful to them to know when and where the car is driven.

The officer pointed out that the felon might be aggressive and might be forcing her to let him drive the car.

In California, if the felon is caught driving the car, the CHP has the option to impound the car for 30 days and have it towed to storage. Your friend, as the registered owner, would be responsible for paying the fees (here, with an average maybe $200 tow bill and average $50-75 per day storage fee, that could be around $2500.00). It sounds like she might be able to get out of those fees if she did a release of liability, but that didn't sound like a sure thing.

According to the officer, if the felon got in a wreck and hurt or killed somebody or caused property damage, the injured parties/victims wouldn't just sue the felon, they would also sue the woman since the car is in her name. (I would imagine that could cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars or more)

I asked the officer if there was some way your friend could gracefully get out of this situation and he said she could do a release of liability, which basically says she doesn't want the car and is surrendering all interest in the car. I asked if that would protect her from being sued (as outlined above) and he said it might, depending on what the judge decided.

Bottom line, it sounds like your friend is setting herself up for a potentially VERY expensive literal accident (or incident) waiting to happen.

If you don't feel comfortable reporting the situation, maybe if you explained to your friend what a financially dangerous situation she is in, she would do something about it.

It occurs to me that you might want to encourage your friend to call the Oregon Highway Patrol herself and ask for advice on how to gracefully (and safely, if the felon is aggressive) extricate herself from this situation. (And you might try to avoid letting the felon see you talking with your friend, so that if he loses the car or has to go back to jail, he wouldn't connect you with his changed circumstances. Similarly, although it might seem a little overboard, you will of course not want to print out any of these posts, so that the felon wouldn't find it and possibly try to track you or any other folks here down.)

P.S. Raphael made a very good point about your friend getting in trouble if the felon stashed drugs in the car. Come to think of it, if he were to stash a concealed weapon in the car, I would imagine she could get in a great deal of trouble, too. Oh, also an open container of alcohol.

[Camelknees33]

Wow, thanks guys (and gals)!

This friend is a coworker who is not a Christian either. This guy is a manipulator, and was in jail for drugs, auto theft, robbery (pretty sure), and other stuff. He is not a guy to be involved with. She has mentioned too that if something were to happen, she would sign the title over to him and BACK DATE IT so she would not get in trouble.

I have been praying, and I am feeling the Lord wanting me to just pray to Him about it and let Him take care of it. He is much better at taking care of it all. I was initially upset (along with other coworkers she told this to), and I wanted to DO SOMETHING. It is just ridiculous that people do this. It was kinda upsetting to me.

If anything happens, I will let you know.

Thanks again!

[ANewCreature]

If God is telling you just to pray, then do it, but sometimespeople refuse to do anything and use the excuse that the "don't want to play God" when in fact they are nothing but aiders and abetters of crimes, whom God would like to use to report it and help put an end to it instead.

We just need to do it in the way God wants. And it sounds like you hve done so, telling your friend of these dangers. Every situation is different. It's just important for us to remember that God chastened Moses for saying "Who am I?" becasue He wanted Moses to do soemthing.

As I say, though, that doesn't appear to be true in yoru case; I just got back from a seminar where some stuff was discussed that wss pretty bad as far as what people do. So, this is just as a general reminder to all of us to obey God and let Him handle things, but to be willing to step in if He leads. And, I strongly believe that most on here would step in if He led, but some of the xcuses mentioned there that people make just made me feel led to mention this somewhere.

[raml]

I was an insurance agent before retiring and what she said about back dating a title won't work she is naive and a bit stupid to be going out with such a person. He is not going to be willing to let her back date a title either the car has to be registered to be driven so she is the registered driver if she signed for it when bought so trying to doctor a title is a crime. I would report the felon I couldn't with good conscience not since this is a crime and I am a law abiding person who reports crimes I am either told about or see. I would do it for the protection of all law abiding citizens I don't need to pray about this to me it is the only moral thing to do. You would be saving your friend a lot of heart ache and a lot of money.

[iSong6:3]

I used to be in the legal field, prosecution side. I held these verses very dear from Romans 13:

13 Let every person be loyally subject to the governing (civil) authorities. For there is no authority except from God [by His permission, His sanction], and those that exist do so by God’s appointment.

2 Therefore he who resists and sets himself up against the authorities resists what God has appointed and arranged [in divine order]. And those who resist will bring down judgment upon themselves [receiving the penalty due them].

3 For civil authorities are not a terror to [people of] good conduct, but to [those of] bad behavior. Would you have no dread of him who is in authority? Then do what is right and you will receive his approval and commendation.

4 For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, [you should dread him and] be afraid, for he does not bear and wear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant to execute His wrath (punishment, vengeance) on the wrongdoer.

5 Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God’s wrath and escape punishment, but also as a matter of principle and for the sake of conscience.

6 For this same reason you pay taxes, for [the civil authorities] are official servants under God, devoting themselves to attending to this very service.

To be involved in the process by which lawbreakers get punished is a good thing, it's God's system.

For those who say don't get involved, he'll get found out...how, if those who know keep their mouths shut?

This felon on probabation is already thumbing his nose at the law by driving illegally, I don't suppose he's using the car to go to NA meetings or church, is he? Probably doing other bad stuff as well.

I would definitely report it.

Maybe God wanted you to take time out to clarify your own motives but it doesn't seem His way to sit back and do nothing, imo.