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Local Celebrity Placed in Handcuffs for Failing to Pay Parking Tickets

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – You might want to attend to those unpaid parking tickets stuffed in your car glove box. A woman driving in Cheektowaga was arrested, handcuffed and thrown in jail for a registration suspension resulting from five unpaid parking tickets.

Loraine O'Donnell's crime was uncovered by new technology that allows police to read license plates and instantly find out the car's registration history. The local actress and TV personality says she did know about the tickets. But she was stunned to find out that her registration was suspended. And even more stunned to land in jail.

Cheektowaga Police Chief Christine Ziemba says a suspension is a Class A misdemeanor. And she says the officers responded according to procedure.

Ziemba says, so far, they have only one police car equipped with the new digital scanner. But she says they are eager to add more as money becomes available.

And you'll want to pay your parking tickets in other towns, too. Ziembra says other police departments are also investing in the technology.

Click the "listen" icon above to hear Joyce Kryszak's story now or use your podcasting software to download it to your computer or iPod.