Man busted for distracted driving claims he had a McDonald's hash brown in his hand, not a phone
A McDonald's hash brown might make for a tasty breakfast, but you're not going to be able to read your Twitter timeline on one. What brings this up is a report in The Hour (via BGR) about a man from Westport, Connecticut named Jason Stiber. On April 11th, Stiber was pulled over and given a $300 ticket for "distracted driving" by Westport Police Cpl. Wong Won. The officer said that he saw Stiber place a cellphone near his mouth.
Stiber tried to tell the cop that what he thought was a smartphone was really a hash brown from McDonald's. The driver said that he had no reason to put a phone to his mouth or ear because he uses Bluetooth while driving. In addition, he allowed the officer to look at his phone, which showed that he had not made a call or received one during the time he was allegedly driving while distracted.
"He was pulled over for talking on his cellphone and given an infraction. I’m sure his claim is different."-Lt. Jillian Cabana
When Stiber went before a magistrate judge in August, he was found guilty despite presenting the same evidence he showed the cop. So Stiber requested a retrial, now scheduled for December 7th at state Superior Court in Norwalk. He has hired an attorney at a price of $1,000, which is how much his car insurance premium has risen because of the ticket.
There is a lesson to be learned here. If you drive through McDonald's for a hash brown, make sure to order a second one to offer the cop just in case you get pulled over.
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