Don’t drive, judges warn traffic defendants; 4 did anyway and were caught

Orange County sheriff’s deputies staked out the Newport Beach courthouse on Monday to catch defendants who got behind the wheel after their hearings even though they had been warned not to drive.

Undercover deputies waited in courtrooms at the Harbor Justice Center, where they followed defendants who had been notified that their licenses were suspended while they faced charges of driving under the influence or who didn’t have a license to begin with, according to a news release.

Deputies followed 20 defendants out of the building and stopped four who drove away, the Sheriff’s Department said. All four were given misdemeanor traffic citations on allegations of driving without a valid license.

Cars belonging to three of the defendants were impounded for 30 days, according to authorities. The fourth defendant’s car was towed and held at a lot until a licensed driver could pick it up, the Sheriff’s Department said.

The department periodically runs such sting operations at the Newport Beach courthouse using grant funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety administered through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.