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Kristin Blake had never been to New York City. She doesn't drive a semi-truck. But a $50 speeding ticket from the city arrived in her mailbox anyway.
Q: What did the ticket say?
A: The New York City Department of Finance's camera violations unit issued the $50 ticket. It said a semi-truck driver was going 15 mph over the speed limit in a school zone.
Q: Why did Blake receive it?
A: Blake drives a Chevy Cruze in Broken Arrow.
"I have nothing to do with either of those things. So I almost threw it away. And then I looked at the tag," said Blake.
Q: What was the connection to the plate?
A: The Oklahoma plate number on the semi matched the number on a Cherokee Nation tribal tag Blake used to have. The plate on the semi does not resemble her old tag, but the number was the same.
Q: Was the semi's plate illegal?
A: No. The plate is registered to the trucking company and is legal. The ticket should not have been sent to Blake.
Q: How was the issue resolved?
A: News on 6 contacted the Cherokee Nation, which confirmed the ticket was a case of mistaken tags. Blake filled out a transfer-of-ownership form, and the tribe handled the rest. She will not have to pay the ticket and will not receive future citations tied to that plate number.
Q: What did Blake say about the resolution?
A: "It's almost like the correct chains got in contact with me - the chain of command," Blake said. "It's not something I feel like I could have done on my own, certainly not as fast as you did. So thank you, because it is one less thing."
Q: What did the Cherokee Nation say?
A: "Cherokee Nation car tags are unique from Oklahoma car tags. The Cherokee Nation is helping our citizen inform New York law enforcement that this is a case of mistaken tags, and we hope law enforcement agencies when issuing a ticket will ensure that they distinguish between our two state and tribal governments, as our tags clearly say Cherokee Nation, and in this instance it is not a Cherokee Nation car tag in use that is being ticketed," Cherokee Nation Tax Administrator Sharon Swepston.
Q: Has NYPD responded?
A: News On 6 contacted the New York Police Department about the misdirected ticket. As of this report, the department has not responded.
