Featured Advertisers
Snow Closings
Wed, Feb. 10  -   -  Mobile  -  RSS
YOUR TOWN:  Caroline | Culpeper | King George | Fredericksburg | Orange | Spotsylvania | Stafford | Westmoreland
  

Make a post about this story on FredTalk. Get a printer-friendly version of this page. E-mail this story to a friend.

O's connection is just the ticket

Orioles farmhand catches break in Culpeper court


Date published: 2/10/2009

BY DONNIE JOHNSTON

A Baltimore Orioles farmhand must have breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when the judge he was facing announced from the bench that "I am a lifelong Orioles fan."

Greg Miclat, a University of Virginia student who was signed last year by the Orioles, was passing through Culpeper several months ago when he was stopped on U. S. 29 for speeding 73 mph in a 60-mph zone.

Miclat appealed his case to the circuit court saying that he was only speeding because the car behind him was pushing his Honda Civic and that he sped up to get out of its way.

State Trooper Jennifer Hathaway said her radar clocked the second car at 67 mph.

Judge Jack Berry's curiosity was piqued when the defense attorney said that Miclat (who lives in North Carolina) was a minor-leaguer in the Orioles organization and that being forced to come back into the state to take a defensive driving class would create an undue hardship on the young man's baseball career.

"The Orioles need all the help they can get," Berry said, before asking Miclat what position he played. The defendant replied, "Shortstop."

While Berry acknowledged that the state trooper was right in issuing the ticket, he told the minor-leaguer that if he took the defensive driving class online and passed, the charges would be suspended.

As Miclat left the court, a spectator asked for the young man's autograph and sent it to Judge Berry in his chambers as a memento--just in case the minor-leaguer made it to the majors.

Donnie Johnston:
Email: djohnston@freelancestar.com



Follow us on
twitter
fredericksburg.com Facebook page


Date published: 2/10/2009


What do you think?
Enter your FredTalk username and password to post a comment on this story. If you are registered on FredTalk or another part of this site, use that login here. Otherwise, you can just REGISTER here... .

Posting guidelines

1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
2. Please avoid offensive, vulgar, abusive, hateful or defamatory language.
3. Agree to read & follow THE RULES.
4. Use the "report to admins" link for posts which violate the rules.

Username:
Password:

Post title:


Please keep it brief: (512-character limit)
Please make sure CAPS LOCK is off. Posts in ALL CAPS will be deleted.)


By checking this box, you agree to the terms of the FredTalk User agreement.