It was a normal day. With my speed-timing device, VASCAR, I had clocked a motorist speeding 74mph in a 55mph zone. It was an ordinary stop. I introduced myself to the well-dressed, middle-aged man and told him why I’d stopped him. He was quiet and polite, and complained very little as I wrote his ticket. The charge that I’d made against him required a court appearance and I set that date for approximately four weeks away.

The court day came and when the district attorney called his name out, no one responded. This was not unusual, it happened all the time. I had other cases that were being tried and I forgot all about his.

Directly, one of the clerks came over and handed me a note from a parole officer.

“I just received word of this.” the note began.” Please advise Trooper Gregory that the defendant in this case, (his name), will not be appearing in court today. He died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound about an hour ago.”

Apparently, conviction of this speeding ticket would have been a parole violation, and he did not want to take the chance of going back to prison. Maybe he would have, but probably he wouldn’t.

Do you feel what I felt?

My cartoonist can’t help me out here. You’ll have to deal with this the best way that you can … That’s what I had to do.