2012-01-06 10:53:40
By Lauren Sher | ABC News Blogs 19 hrs ago
A Chicago police officer allegedly turned a $132 speeding ticket into a pick-up
opportunity when he later tracked down the female driver and asked her out,
saying the least he could do for the money he cost her was to treat her to
dinner, according to a lawsuit the woman filed in federal court.
Evagelina Paredes filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Chicago, accusing
police officer Chris Collins of violating her privacy, according to the
Associated Press. She alleges that after she was ticketed on Oct. 22, Collins
searched for her address in the motor-vehicle database and left a handwritten
note on the windshield of her car, which was parked outside her apartment in
the Chicago suburb of Stickney, asking her out on a date.
In the note, a copy of which appeared was included in the court documents and
was obtained by the Associated Press, the 27-year-old police officer tried to
woo the female driver with humor and a seemingly heartfelt plea.
"It's Chris that ugly bald Stickney cop who gave you that ticket. I know
this may seem crazy and you're probably right, but truth is I have not stopped
thinking about you since. I don't expect a girl as attractive as you to even
go for a guy like me, but I'm taking a shot anyways."
"I did cost you $132 - least I can do is buy you dinner," the note reportedly
read.
The scenario is not that far off from the "meet-cutes" of Hollywood romantic
comedies. In the 2011 hit "Bridesmaids," Kirsten Wiig's character starts a
relationship with the traffic cop who let her out of a ticket for a broken
taillight.
Arguably, it's a lot less "cute" when it happens in real-life.
Paredes claims that the note caused her to "suffer great fear and anxiety." In
the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified payments in damages, saccording to the
Associated Press, she alleges that Collins used his position as a police
officer to "manipulate" her into going out with him. Collins declined to
comment to the Associated Press.