Judge Steven Mowery: New Program Helps Unlicensed Drivers
Portsmouth Municipal Court Judge Steven Mowery is tried of seeing people come before the bench on charges of driving under a suspended license or driving without a license. These charges carry jail sentences of up to 6 months and fines up to $1000. In the past, there was help available to legally obtain a driver’s license, but only after you’d already been arrested and charged for not having one.
Mowery wants to get valid licenses in the hands of drivers before it becomes a legal issue. He’s created a new, free program called “Driving Scioto County.”
The program aims to help drivers with suspended licenses, those who have never had a valid license due to issues with the BMV, drivers who owe reinstatement fees, and even those who don’t even know what steps to take to get a valid license.
All you need to do is email driving@pmcourt.org with your name, SSN, and a number where the court can reach you. Judge Mowery’s assistant, Donna Van Duesen will contact you to arrange an individual review to determine if you are eligible for a license, what you need to do to become a licensed driver, and provide you with a step-by-step to-do list on how to get the license.
According to Judge Mowery, “As we all know, it is very difficult to travel for work, school, medical appointments, grocery stores, etc., without a valid driver’s license in Scioto County. With this new program, we hope that we can assist our county residents in obtaining a valid driver’s license, WITHOUT first obtaining a citation.”