The Brooklyn bishop who was spared a night in jail after a mayoral phone call has finally made it to court Thursday — and claimed he shouldn’t have been busted in the first place.
Orlando Findlayter, 50, was let go following a routine traffic stop on February 10 despite having two outstanding warrants. The against-protocol release was preceded by inquiries Mayor de Blasio made to police officials regarding the status of his political ally.
The pastor came to Brooklyn Criminal Court to settle the charge that spurred his arrest — driving with a suspended license due to lapsed insurance.
“It was some kind of mix up,” his attorney Mark Pollard said.
Findlayter was offered a $ 75 fine to dispose of the case, but opted to fight for a dismissal.
“I will be providing information to the district attorney’s office and I trust that this will be resolved quickly and appropriately,” Pollard said.
The lawyer explained that the bishop’s insurance was erroneously lapsed after he cancelled a policy on another car.
He showed a document indicating the license was suspended January 2, but a notice wasn’t received until Feb. 12, two days after the traffic stop in East Flatbush.
When Findlayter was stopped, he had open warrants for failing to appear in court for an arrest during an immigration rally. People with warrants normally have to see a judge before getting sprung, but the pastor was freed with a desk appearance ticket, meaning he only had to report to court Thursday.
He cleared up the warrants the day after getting arrested and will be back in court for the license issue June 23.
Accompanied by his wife Yvette, the well-connected minister waited for over two hours in a crowded courtroom until his case was called.
The mayor and police officials have defended de Blasio’s intervention as a mere inquiry and argued the bishop’s release was appropriate.
The city has refused reporters’ requests for more information on the communications between Hizzoner and police honchos.
An early endorser of de Blasio and a member of his inaugural committee, Findlayter helms a church and a charter school, but has been beset by financial irregularities relating to real estate holdings, according to records.
His lawyer declined to address the controversial City Hall phone call.
“To me, that has nothing to do with the case,” Pollard said.
oyaniv@nydailynews.com
Yahoo Local News – New York Daily News
http://ift.tt/1rTIXfU
via Great Local News: New York http://ift.tt/1iZiLP1
No comments:
Post a Comment