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Colorado driver can't renew license due to hold from a state she's never visited

Nancy Thomas says New Jersey has a hold on license
Posted at 9:18 PM, Aug 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-27 00:35:55-04

LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- A Colorado woman who tried to renew her driver's license a month ago is still waiting to hear back from the DMV, after officials told her she had a hold on her license from New Jersey. The problem? She's never stepped a foot in the state. 

"Well, I told them I’ve never been to New Jersey so how could that be?" said Nancy Thomas. "And one person that I talked to in New Jersey indicated that this had something to do with a suspended license in Alabama in 2013. Well, I’ve also never been to Alabama."

Thomas, who has called Colorado home for more than four decades, is understandably frustrated.

A Colorado DMW spokesperson told her she needed to contact New Jersey to fix the problem, something she said she did more than two weeks ago. She has yet to hear back.

"I’ve been, I think, a model citizen for 40 years, I’ve paid my taxes and you know, [I have a] spotless driving record," said Thomas.

Life got in the way, her license expired and she didn't realized it until she was trying to do a money transfer for an upcoming trip. Making matters worse, Thomas booked a plane ticket and rental car to attend a funeral out-of-state. She ended up canceling the trip because she didn't have a valid license to rent the car.

Officials with the State of New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission told Denver7 they're looking into the matter.

Colorado DMV spokesperson Sarah Werner said in a statement, "Occasionally the records of individuals with similar information (such as name or date of birth) can become tied together." According to Werner, a letter of clearance will allow someone like Thomas to get her Colorado driver license.

"It's been an ordeal," said Thomas.

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