Posted on 05/13/2025 8:08:57 AM PDT by Towed_Jumper
Charges have been dropped against a 19-year-old college student who was arrested during a traffic stop in Dalton earlier this month—a case that has drawn national attention and sparked outrage among immigration advocates and members of the community.
The City of Dalton confirmed Monday that all charges against 19-year-old Ximena Arias-Cristobal were dismissed after a review of police dash-cam video showed she was not the driver who committed the traffic violation that led to her arrest on May 5. Arias-Cristobal had been cited for making an improper turn and driving without a valid license. However, Dalton police now say she was mistakenly identified. "Miss Arias-Cristobal's vehicle was very similar in appearance to the offender vehicle," Dalton Police Assistant Chief Chris Crossen said.
According to the city, video from the incident revealed that a black pickup truck made an illegal right turn at the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Thornton Avenue, where right turns on red are prohibited.
Arias-Cristobal, a student at Dalton State College, was driving a dark gray pickup truck that happened to be part of a line of cars turning left at the same time the officer attempted to pursue the actual offending vehicle.
When the officer caught up with her near Crawford Street, he stopped her vehicle and made contact. Audio of the initial interaction was not recorded. "It's a situation where the wrong vehicle was stopped, and it's a very regrettable thing that this is where this led," Chief Crossen said.
The Dalton Police Department, the prosecuting attorney, and city officials reviewed the video and determined Arias-Cristobal’s vehicle was not the one that committed the traffic violation. She was cleared of both the improper turn and license charges, and the City Attorney notified her legal representatives of the decision to drop the case.
(Excerpt) Read more at fox10phoenix.com ...
worked for a maryland father with 8 of his buddies in TN
Well then, it appears you are sadly misusing the well-known legal concept of "the fruit of a poisonous tree".
I had Out of state plates- but he claimed I was swerved over the line. I had cut the corner onto another road too sharp is all. Musta been time to refill the state finance coffers i guess.
Probably because a lawyer would have gotten her off due to an invalid stop.
Probably, because, if she has charges against her, she would have to stay, until the court date, if there was one, instead, of ICE taking her in to custody, right away.
You cannot get a IDP workout providing proof of a valid licence in a country that is part of the IDP process. She would have submitted her Mexico drivers licence to the IDP board. Mexico will issue DLs to its citizens abroad or she had ID theft and sent someone elses DL for the IDP not likely given if you have a stolen USA DL why even bother with the IDP as it is for foreign DLs to drive in a participating country.
I keep an IDP to drive in the EU and the UK they are good for 365 days it is a translation of your already valid US state issued licence to international recognized standards nothing more nothing less. Mine shoes I have a valid Texas DL in the class C and M classes. This tells the EU that I can operate up to a class C1E commercial heavy vehicle with a MAM ( maximum allowable mass) of 12,000 kilograms. Well above their normal 3500Kg limits. Basically everything smaller than a articulated lorry.
Mexico will issue federal level drivers licences to its citizens even if they are expats. They also have state level licences. Mexico does everything they can for its citizen’s abroad,about the only thing it does well. This girl was brought here at 4 years old so she would’ve needed to apply for a Mexico federal level DL, they would have granted it then she could have gotten a IDP with that.
Here is what they look like and yes you can use one of these to get an IDP and drive here or any of the other 140 countries that participate in the IDP program.
https://cdn.ymaws.com/ncnla.com/resource/resmgr/documents/Mexican_LFC_Schematic_Revise.pdf
The entire family should be deportado amigo and amiga, Nino and Nina.
She was not driving?
So making a mistake and stopping the wrong vehicle does not articulate reasonable suspicion? (Assuming, of course, the mistake was not on purpose).
It depends. The way it was described to me by an attorney if you are pursuing a white Honda Civic, lost sight for a second see another white Civic, then probably any evidence you discover can be admitted at trial. But if you are pursuing a vehicle of one make and model and color and stop one of a completely different make, model and color, particularly when they have obviously different accessories, you are out of luck.
On Dalton social media today, someone posted a photo of the black Ford truck blowing through a red light this morning.
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