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Man Pays Speeding Ticket, Still Gets License Revoked

Division Of Motor Vehicles Says There's No Problem

POSTED: 7:18 am MDT October 17, 2009
UPDATED: 8:00 am MDT October 17, 2009

Imagine getting a speeding ticket and paying your fine, but losing your driver’s license because the Division of Motor Vehicles had no record that you paid.

That’s what happened to Steven Holmberg.

The Winter Park man was ticketed last June, in Granby, for driving four miles per hour over the limit in a 30 mph zone.

“I paid the ticket and forgot about it,” Holmberg told 7NEWS.

Three weeks later, Holmberg received notice in the mail that his license would be revoked if he didn’t pay up.

“So I contacted the (municipal) court (clerk.) They said they had submitted the paperwork and there must be a backlog at Motor Vehicles and not to worry about it,” he said.

So Holmberg went about his business.

He then received a second warning letter from the DMV.

He said he contacted the agency and was told that if everything was paid it wouldn’t be an issue.

He thought it was settled.

He and his wife then went on a motorcycle tour of New Mexico.

They were pulled over near Salida for speeding and were stunned to learn that Holmberg’s license had been revoked.

“I was forced to leave my motorcycle alongside the road because I didn’t have another driver for it. And I was forced to hitchhike four hours with my wife to get home,” he said.

The Winter Park man said he had to pay a buddy to drive to Salida to pick up the bike.

The furious motorist then went to the DMV in person and had the court re-fax proof of payment while he was there.

He suspects the snafu was just a clerical error.

The DMV won’t talk about this case. A spokesman, Mark Couch, said federal law prohibits them from doing so.

But Couch said, “We don’t have any problem or trend that we can identify.”

Holmberg said the error has cost him $500.

He said even with proof that the fine had been paid, he still had to shell out $25 for a new license.

“I’d like to see some accountability for the individuals who work at motor vehicles. I think they work with impunity,” he said.

“If you catch them on a good day, you get whatever you need done. If you catch them on a bad day, they can make your life a living hell with the push of a button,” he added.
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