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Tow truck drags pregnant car owner

October 2, 2006

BYLINE: Aldo Nahed

A pregnant woman was dragged on the street by a tow truck Sunday morning as she fought to stop her car from being taken away, witnesses said. Miami police are investigating to determine if a crime was committed.

The incident began around 11 a.m. when Sandra Pierre, 20, who is four months pregnant, parked at the I-95 Pawn Shop on Northwest Seventh Avenue, in a tow-away spot. Witnesses said Pierre went shopping at the Family Dollar across the street and, while there, noticed her green Infiniti being towed by a driver from Torres Towing.

A second tow-truck driver from the company stopped to talk to Pierre, said Kamilah Wright, the Family Dollar store manager.

”She was upset and trying to talk to him,” Wright said. “He was in the truck and began to drive away. She held on to the truck, and instead of stopping he sped up.”

Wright said Pierre was dragged for about 10 feet. A security guard helped Pierre back into the store, and Wright called 911.

She was taken to North Shore Medical Center. Investigators told The Miami Herald’s news partners at WFOR-CBS 4 that Pierre was treated and released.

Group resumes voter drives

October 2, 2006

BYLINE: ALDO NAHED

After its big legal fight with the state, third-party groups such as the League of Women Voters are again submitting voter registrations without the fear of stiff fines for violations.

Mary G. Wilson, the League’s national president, said she will be at the Miami-Dade Elections Department today to turn in new voter registration applications to elections supervisor Lester Sola.

”To a certain extent, you can never catch up,” Wilson said. “There is so little time left before the Nov. 7 election. We’ll never really be able to register all of the voters.”

On Aug. 28, U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz deemed unconstitutional a state voter registration law that restricted registration drives such as those routinely done by groups like the League by requiring the forms be turned in to election officials within 10 days or face stiff fines.

The law applied to all persons or organizations that engaged in voter registration except for major political parties, state motor vehicle offices and individuals who seek to register immediate family members. It did not impact such entities as the Family Values Party, Green Party of Florida or the Surfers Party of America.

Under the law, the state could impose fines on individuals, registered agents or board members of any nonpartisan voter registration group. Violators faced civil fines of $250 for each voter registration application submitted to election officials more than 10 days after it was collected, $500 for each form delivered after any voter registration deadline and $5,000 for each application not submitted.

”The ruling allows us to resume our voter registration without concern to the extreme penalties,” Wilson said.

The law went into effect Jan. 1.

Wilson is traveling the state as part of a Public Advocacy for Voter Protection project.

Before Wilson heads to the Miami-Dade Elections Department this morning, she will make a stop at the Miami-Dade College Wolfson campus, which is hosting Voter Awareness Day. She will talk to League members and students about their efforts in breaking down barriers.

”We want to inform voters about the election procedure,” she said. “We think voting should be fun.”