Press release from the Indiana State Police:
“I Forgot My ID Was In My Shoe”
Lake County-Yesterday afternoon, Trooper Josh Roa had an encounter with someone who couldn’t remember phone numbers, his address, or that his identification card was in his shoe.
On Monday, May 3rd, at approximately 4:46 p.m., Trooper Roa made a traffic stop on a 1999 Cadillac at Grant Street and I-80 in Gary for disregarding a traffic light and for the driver and passenger not wearing their seatbelts.
After identifying the driver by his driver’s license, the passenger stated he did not know where his identification was but verbally gave Roa a name. A computer check of the passenger came back with no results. Roa requested the passenger to return to his police car so he could ensure he had the correct spelling of his name. Roa ran the name given him multiple times and each time they came back with no results.
When the driver was asked what the passenger’s name was, he replied he knew his first name, but did not remember his last name.
When the passenger was asked if there was anyone Roa could contact to verify his name, he stated he could not think of anyone’s phone number. When asked where he lived, he stated he didn’t know his exact address. The passenger was then placed in hand-cuffs and was being taken to the Lake County Jail to attempt to identify him by his finger prints. During the ride to the jail he stated to Roa he had something he wanted to tell him. He stated, “I forgot my id card was in my shoe”.
Roa retrieved his Indiana identification card from his shoe, which identified him as Brandon Omar McClendon, 24 of Gary, Indiana. A computer check of his Indiana identification card revealed that he was wanted on nine active warrants through Gary Police Department and one active warrant through East Chicago Police Department.
McClendon was taken to Lake County Jail and charged with:
- Warrant Gary/Operating While Never Licensed-three counts, Class A Misdemeanors
- Warrant Gary/Refusal to Identify-one count, Class A Misdemeanor
- Warrant Gary/False Informing-one count, Class A Misdemeanor
- Warrant Gary/Possession of Marijuana-one count, Class A Misdemeanor
- Warrant Gary/Battery-two counts, Class A Misdemeanors
- Warrant East Chicago/Invasion of Privacy-one count, Class A Misdemeanor
McClendon was also charged with Refusal to Identify and False Informing both Class A Misdemeanors by Trooper Roa.
The driver was cited for traffic violations and released at the scene.
The Indiana State Police would like to remind the public that we discover many criminal acts during traffic stops. In addition to reducing fatal crashes, officers use traffic enforcement as a means of detecting and preventing criminal acts. When you see a traffic stop in progress, slow down and move over, because, as in this case, the officer may be working on more than just a traffic ticket.
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