Small traffic infraction leads to big arrest

A simple traffic stop led to the arrest of a California man in Kimball on Tuesday, May 17.

According to an affidavit obtained from the Kimball County Court, Nebraska State Patrol Trooper L. J. Kelley was patrolling east on I-80 when he observed a vehicle change lanes without using a turn signal.

Kelley stopped the vehicle, driven by Peter E. Tasciotti of Cali., and requested to see the man’s driver’s license, vehicle registration and insurance. Upon examination of Tasciotti’s driver’s license the trooper discovered that it had expired in 2010.

An adult female passenger in the vehicle, identified herself to the officer as Michelle A. Bishop. There were also two small children in the back of the vehicle.

Kelley requested that Tasciotti follow him to the patrol car, where he (Kelley) placed the man in the back seat while he ran Tasciotti and Bishop through the Nebraska State Patrol dispatch in Scottsbluff. This is when the officer was informed that the man’s license had been suspended and that he had an active protection order against him in regards to Bishop and the children that were in the vehicle.

Kelley then asked Tasciotti about the trip that they were on and if there was anything illegal that would be found in the vehicle.

Tasciotti shared with the officer that the woman in the car was in possession of a small amount of marijuana, as well as a pipe to smoke it. Kelley located the substance claimed to be marijuana and tested it. It was positive for marijuana.

When in the presence of both parties, each denied that it belonged to them, so the officer gave a citation to Tasciotti for the drug and paraphernalia.

The officer then contacted the California agency in regards to the violation of the domestic abuse protection order, but was unable at the time to reach someone on the case.

Bishop and the two children were released while Tasciotti was taken into custody and transferred to the Kimball County jail.

Tasciotti was charged with knowingly violating a foreign protection order, displaying a fictitious license, operating a motor vehicle upon the streets, alleys or public highways of the sate without having obtained a license for that purpose, intentionally possessing marijuana weighing less than one ounce, possession with the intent to use - drug paraphernalia to manufacture, inject, inhale or otherwise introduce into the human body a controlled substance…and last but not least, the offense that began it all, turning a vehicle when such movement could not be made with reasonable safety or without giving an appropriate turn signal.

Learn from the dumb criminals – if you are trying to avoid the law, you may want to use simple common sense…or at least your blinker while changing lanes.