Burned Out License Plate Light Dooms DUI Wanted Suspect
So many times, it's small little details that trip up a suspect, or arouse the suspicions of police ending up in a bigger bust.
Thursday night, Kennewick police on patrol near Deschutes and North Fruitland noticed this pickup with a burned out rear license plate bulb. It's the little cheap one that lights up the rear plate, legally required.
Officers tried to pull over the driver, probably to give him a warning, around 10:22pm. But he kept going. He was not necessarily racing, but refused to stop. Finally, the truck pulled over in an apartment parking lot - the driver ran out of road.
Ted Teichmer, who was behind the wheel, was arrested for refusing to obey a police officer (pulling over) and was also found to have an active arrest warrant from the Department of Corrections. And (bonus!) officers found what was believed to be meth in his vehicle, plus he was driving on a suspended license.
If only he'd sprung $4.99 for a license plate bulb (they come in pairs) at Autozone or somewhere else, the officers wouldn't have had any reason to pull him over.