Most everyone has received a parking ticket they thought was unjustified, but not like this.
A Rhode Island woman named Sarah had to appear in court in December because she was ticketed for parking in a place where parking was forbidden between 8 to 10 a.m. ― two seconds before 10 a.m.
The court case was filmed for posterity for “Caught In Providence,” a courtroom TV shows airing weekends on local ABC affiliate WLNE.
Municipal Court Judge Frank Caprio was forced to choose between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law.
“So what do you want to tell me about this… taking this wrong path in life,” he said as he read her court brief.
Then he noticed when the time the ticket was written.
“I think it was issued at 9.59 and 58 seconds. You can’t park there until 10 o’clock. You violated city ordinances,” he said, barely hiding a giggle.
“I literally pulled up at 9.58,” Sarah told the court, adding that the car clock said 10 a.m.
Judge Caprio jokingly lambasted her: “So now you’re blaming the car clock?”
He then asked the court inspector, “What does justice demand in this case, is this jail?”
“10 o’clock means 10 o’clock, judge,” the inspector replied.
Caprio decided that the on-duty meter maid may have been a bit too nitpicky and dismissed the case.
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