Teen Faces Jail Over Car Lights

A Douglas County teenager who graduated from high school with distinction last week is facing jail time and a hefty fine for putting blue lights on her car.

The lights, known as Cobra Eyes, are popular with teenagers who use them as decoration.

Devon Cook, 18, drove with the lights on her car for two years before being stopped by a Douglasville polie officer.

"He was like, ‘Do you know why I pulled you over?’, “No sir, was I speeding?’ [I said], ‘No, there's blue lights on her car [the officer said].’"

The officer gave Cook a ticket for operating an unauthorized vehicle with blue lights. Last week, after trying to plead her own case in Municipal Court, a judge found her guilty.

"I got a $800 fine, six months probation, 40 hours community service and 24 hours jail time," Cook said.

"She doesn't deserve to go to jail for this. I can't imagine my daughter spending a night in population with real criminals," Alicia Cook, Devon’s mother, said.

To keep Cook out of jail, the Cooks hired attorney John Sherrod to file an appeal. Sherrod said Devon did not break the law.

"The car has to be equipped with a device capable of producing flashing or revolving lights and as you know, from looking at the car, those are just small blue lights that neither flash or revolve," he said.

The Cobra Eyes lights can be purchased at most auto parts stores. They sell for about $10 and they do come with a warning right on the package which reads, “May not be legal for street use, check with your local city/state ordinance.”

"I checked with my resource officer at school and he said they weren't illegal," Devon Cook said.

Her mother also checked with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.

"She was not trying to break the law or impersonate a police officer or anything," Alicia Cook said.

Douglasville City police said the officer who wrote the ticket used his discretion. The judge who decided her punishment said he could not comment while the case is on appeal.

11Alive checked with a number of law-enforcement agencies across Metro Atlanta on the legality of the lights. Some consider the Cobra Eyes illegal while others do not.

Your right, I meant as dangerous as a criminal when trying to defend themselves with firearms. And most gun owners DO NOT put in enough time on a range, or a mobile shooting course, or have the sense of employing a weapon in a brief, high intensity man to man conflict that is required. Can you convince me otherwise: sure, site facts and figures. But after 11 years as a soldier (half of those as an infantryman), handling weapons on a daily basis for probably the last 15 years, and dealing with all types of people who love the gun culture, I am convinced that most are unable to react in a violent situation without causing undue harm to innocents.

Now do many cops lack such training and end up a threat to innocents: of course, people don't realize that such training is both time consuming, and can be expensive if you don't have proper ranges, hence many small and mid sized PD's either don't get the training due to budget constraints, or rely heavily on ex-military trained officers. That does not solve the problem, either, as you know that such training is easily lost in time.

Final point: combative attitudes as you expressed usually end up receiving combative attitudes. When you and I put on badges-remember that there are many out there who can out-shoot, out-muscle and out-fight you, and you never know that by first impressions. I come from a family of LEO's, experience shows that such attitudes should be last resort. Try calm, organized debate. It will get you farther.

All good points that I hope to stand by, also. Remember, few people have read or understand the Constitution in any way. Until you are a sworn judge, you will find it hard to tell people that you know more about it as a cop than any judge or legislator (even though you might). And you may get in a PD that hires properly educated persons, and trains them well to act on their own good sense. Most PD's do nowadays, but there is always a few who can't sort criminal intent from honest mistake, and just are out to rack up a high "score" of tickets.

However you stated: "They going to fire all cops? Why don't all cops simply disregard a "taxation" order like that?"

No, they will just fire you.

Take care and good luck. Hope you do well. TL

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