Mary Kay Letourneau Arrested in License Case
Infamous ex-teacher Mary Kay Letourneau was arrested Monday for failing to appear in court on charges of driving with a suspended license.
Letourneau was arrested in Seattle late Sunday and was booked in King County Jail on a low-level bench warrant, reports Seattle's KIRO-TV. The focus of a student-teacher sex scandal in the 1990s, Letourneau served more than seven years in prison before being released in 2004.
What does Letourneau have to do to keep herself out of jail?
An Avoidable Arrest
This recent arrest isn't the biggest issue for the convicted child rapist, but unlike her relationship with her then child-lover and current husband Vili Fualaau, Monday's arrest was easy to avoid.
Letourneau had initially been pulled over for expired vehicle tags in January 2013, when the officer discovered that she also had a suspended license for unpaid traffic tickets, reports KIRO-TV. Like many states, driving with a suspended license in Washington is a misdemeanor, punishable by a minimum of 10 days in jail for first-time offenders.
As Letourneau should have known, law-enforcement officers do eventually arrest and charge drivers who neglect to pay their traffic fines. The former teacher was ordered to attend a relicensing program to avoid a criminal charge (and to get her license back), but she apparently flaked, reports KIRO-TV.
Following Letourneau's failure to attend the relicensing program, the King County Prosecutor's Office filed criminal charges against her. A bench warrant was issued in September when Letourneau failed to appear for a court hearing in that case.
Renewing a Suspended License
Letourneau is now free after posting $5,000 bond, pending a hearing for her criminal case. But her chances of driving anytime soon look bleak.
It is likely that King County prosecutors will recommend that Letourneau's license suspension be extended. Habitual traffic offenders can also have their driving privileges revoked until further notice -- which for Letourneau may mean having it revoked for at least four years.
Learn from Mary Kay Letourneau's driving mistakes; comply with court requirements and show up for your hearings if you want your legal rights to get back behind the wheel.
Related Resources:
- Mary Kay Letourneau jailed again in suspended license case (CBS News)
- How to Get Your Driver's License Revoked (FindLaw's Blotter)
- How to Reinstate a License After a DUI (FindLaw's Blotter)
- Consequences for Failing to Appear in Court (FindLaw's KnowledgeBase)