Durham Authorities Crack Down on Revoked Drivers

An undercover sting in Durham is cracking down on drivers who should not be on the road.

Posted 11:31 a.m. May 3, 2007 — Updated 11:59 a.m. May 4, 2007

DURHAM, N.C. — An undercover sting in Durham is cracking down on drivers who should not be on the road.

In Operation Revocation, Durham County deputies found some people in court for driving with a revoked license later walked out of the courthouse and got behind the wheel. Undercover officers staked out the courtroom and the hallway, then let patrol officers know who to watch for on the street.

"We want to go after people who have no respect for the law or the court system whatsoever," said Lt. Adam Clayton, of the Durham County Sheriff's Office.

One woman caught in the sting recently pleaded guilty to hit-and-run had her license revoked for medical reasons.

"God knows how much damage she could've caused or seriously injured or killed someone," said Sgt. Stokes Barnes, of the Durham County Sheriff's Office.

"These are people who are driving without insurance or proper registration and they're driving up all our insurance rates," Clayton said.

During one stop, officers found an 8-month-old baby riding in the car and no car seat. The driver got charged with that as well as speeding.

Law enforcement officers said drivers with revoked licenses are a concern everywhere. Last year alone, there were 321,000 North Carolinians who had a revoked license.

"It's a privilege to drive in the state of North Carolina and the state can take that drivers license back at anytime for any reason," Barnes said.

Deputies arrested three drivers during Thursday's operation. They arrested six last week. All were taken to jail and released on bond.

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