Florida “Sovereign Citizen Couple” Arrested for Fake License Plates
Volusia County officials said Destry Wogerman, 58, and his wife Laralynne Nabozny, 43, were arrested when they resisted officers during a traffic stop using fake license plates.
Athens-Clarke Police Sergeant Nathaniel Franco was patrolling Milledge Avenue around 7:30 p.m. on August 15 when he saw a Honda Civic without a license plate, a vehicle violation that often results in a traffic stop.
But Franco also noticed a silver sign reading “Private, not for trade” and some other symbols on the car. According to the report, the officer realized that the symbolism potentially linked the driver to the “sovereign citizen ideology.”
“Those who hold this belief hold that they do not have to comply with state vehicle registration and traffic laws when they are merely ‘traveling,’ and that vehicle registration is not required when they are used for personal rather than commercial purposes,” the officer’s report said.
The officer stopped the traffic and reported speaking to the driver, who told him he was driving “a private vehicle.” The 37-year-old man, who later gave an address in Winterville, then apparently rolled up his window to end the conversation.
Franco found that the man’s driver’s license was valid, but his vehicle registration was suspended. The driver was asked several times to get out of the car, but police said he refused.
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He had been warned that his window would be smashed, but police said he continued to refuse. A backup officer arrived and smashed the window, allowing police to free the driver.
The man asked if he was being arrested and was told that he was, according to the report. The report also states that the man was upset, as he accused the officers of “kidnapping” him and he also threatened to sue.
According to the Police1 website, which provides police information to police officers, some sovereign citizens have a tendency towards violence and police officers should therefore always have backup during traffic stops.
Athens-Clarke Police Lt. Jody Thompson said there were no specific instructions for dealing with people who considered themselves sovereign citizens.
“The law applies to everyone the same, so we treat them the same when they break the law,” he said. “… What started as a simple traffic stop with a citation ended in an arrest. That could have put people in danger. That wasn’t necessary if he had followed the simple law of vehicle registration.”
He said that those who follow the sovereign citizen ideology receive “false information” from the Internet.
“The law is the law, and whether you accept it or not does not change that fact,” the lieutenant said.
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