BUSTED! ARRGGHHH!! I (did not) Break the Law…But the Law Still Won!

I am on vacation this week so today’s issue is extremely abbreviated.

Let me preface this post by saying we are extremely respectful of, and thankful for, police officers. We are always very careful to follow the law. From not speeding, to following local ordinances to the letter, we do not break the law.

We also do not purchase illegal fireworks. In Florida, you can’t use anything that will go airborne. And, each year, I check the law to ensure it has not changed. As of Wednesday, it had not.

We took our annual fireworks acquisition trip to Walmart, and bought a box of sparklers, snakes, and whatnot. A few years ago, an officer stopped us on the beach, inspected our Walmart fireworks, and said they were fine. So, we have always bought the same stuff.

Well…this year we encountered a different officer. A younger fellow who was, I suppose, friendly enough, but ignorant of the law. There were thousands of people on the beach and a half dozen or so were setting off what I can only describe as mortars. Professional grade fireworks! All the rich folks who live on the island can afford those.

The boys lit one tiny gizmo and we were immediately approached by an officer. The crowd of people around us grew silent. He said if we didn’t willingly give up our fireworks, he’d write us a $75 ticket. I explained that they were Walmart brand, not airborne, and completely legal. He puffed, “No fireworks are legal!” Well, I wasn’t about to get into a scuffle with an officer in front of the children. I’ve seen enough YouTube videos to know better. So, I gave them up and he walked away.

After he illegally confiscated our legal stuff, the crowd broke into a spontaneous rendition of God Bless America. Awe! The boys thought that was AWESOME!!

Don’t worry. The kids were fine after that. I think they enjoyed watching Mom get busted more than they’d looked forward to swirling around sparklers (yes, the officer took those, too, despite the fact that numerous children were holding lit ones near us). We sat on our beach towels, and watched the REAL show. Men would sneak out from a crowd behind us, race to the water’s edge, set down a HUGE box or tube, light it, and run back into the crowd.

Definitely NOT legal fireworks. Yes, the funny criminal cleaned up the mess after he was finished. 😉

A few went awry and sparks erupted in the crowd but there were no injuries. Honestly, watching the lawbreakers darting in and out of the crowd to and from the water’s edge was the best part of the show!

And, during the next hour, the police did not come back.

We had a GRAND time and we can’t wait to do it again next year…when I will have a printed copy of the actual law in my purse in case we get busted again.

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7 Responses to "BUSTED! ARRGGHHH!! I (did not) Break the Law…But the Law Still Won!"

Pamela Allegretto July 6, 2019 at 12:03 pm

I’m grateful that you didn’t have to write this post from inside the slammer. Yikes!

Ron Coleman July 6, 2019 at 10:20 am

You need to file a complaint about the officer with his superiors. Even if he is ignorant of the law, they are not. If they correct him, you won’t have any more problems next year.

By Angela Hoy - Publisher of WritersWeekly.com July 6, 2019 at 2:19 pm

I already submitted a complaint to the police department. 🙂 It was a bummer but I wasn’t going to let it ruin our weekend. 😉

jedidiah manowitz July 6, 2019 at 9:44 am

I would have asked for a badge number and filed a complaint.

By Angela Hoy - Publisher of WritersWeekly.com July 6, 2019 at 2:19 pm

I didn’t get his badge # but I did get his picture. 😉

Richard Wheeler July 5, 2019 at 2:42 pm

Keep the printout in plain sight, Angela. You don’t want to get shot while reaching for a “concealed weapon” in your purse.

By Angela Hoy - Publisher of WritersWeekly.com July 5, 2019 at 6:18 pm

Ha ha ha! Right you are, Richard!! 😉