I Come From Everywhere

[Gary]

My small hometown of San Benito had a policeman whose name was Rocky Rioux. He was ex-military and he kept a pretty tight rein on us teens. Late one night in November 1958, I was heading home through the deserted streets, and he got me just as I made my last turn, mere blocks from home. After I pulled over, he walked up to my car, stared at me for what seemed an eternity, and just said, “I come from behind trees, from under rocks, from behind signs. I come from everywhere”. He cited me for several violations, including reckless driving, running a stop sign, and speeding.

 

I didn't tell my parents about the incident, but, unknown to me, the local paper reported that kind of stuff and my Dad saw it. Since I wasn’t exactly rolling in dough, the Judge gave me a weekly installment plan. Each week I had to appear before him in person to pay a $5.00 installment and he would give me a receipt. The total fine was only $20, but that was a lot of money to me then. It is equivalent to a little more than $200 today. Oh, one more thing—I was innocent.