College student lands in jail for not having Ga. license

ATLANTA — A local college student says she was pulled over for speeding and landed in jail.

"I didn't know what was happening. Like I said, I had never been in trouble before," said Ariel Delegol, a junior at Clark Atlanta University.

"He (the officer) said that me having a Michigan license is the equivalent of me not having a driver's license at all," Delegol said. "So, he said I'm basically driving without a license right now in the State of Georgia."

That's because Michigan is one of six states that does not participate in the Non-Resident Violator Compact.

Most states have an agreement with their respective driver services departments to enforce out-of-state violations.

But six states -- Michigan, California, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana and Alaska -- don't take part.

"That simply means that they would not have to extradite an individual back to our jurisdiction for them to appear in court or to post a bond," said Officer Ralph Woolfolk with the Atlanta Police Department.

The Atlanta Police Department says its officer followed protocol taking Delegol into custody. That forced her to post a bond, ensuring she would answer to her charges in court in Georgia.

"So I got a mug shot, they fingerprinted me, everything," Delegol said. "People were in there drugs, drunk driving and all types of things. I'm just sitting there scared, nervous."

"You have students who are coming from all across the country that are here just for the purposes of school, that are not residents," said defense attorney Odis Williams.

Williams says he doubts police officers are enforcing this across the board.

"These officers have discretion," Williams said.

If it was that serious, to the point you could get arrested if you get pulled over, everybody should know that," said Delegol.

WSBTV