A taxi driver was charged yesterday with the crime of filing a false police report after the cabdriver dropped off a baby at a firehouse. The cab driver claimed that a passenger abandoned the baby in his taxi when he left to make a telephone call and never returned.
It was later determined that the taxi driver and his girlfriend came up with the story and the idea to bring the baby to a firehouse when his girlfriend’s sister allegedly ran off and the father was unable to care for the baby.
The taxi driver was also charged with criminal facilitation along with his girlfriend. This is an interesting situation where the taxi driver may have committed two crimes in the process of trying to do something that he believed was good and morally right. That is, giving the baby to firemen or EMS at the firehouse. While the act of giving a baby to appropriate officials is not a crime, making up a false story to give to police is a crime. If he had told the truth, he would not have been arrested.
This seems to be a common occurrence in the news these days, where someone lies about an act that is not a crime and only commits a crime because of the lie. He will now have to find a criminal lawyer, but in this case, since the act of giving a baby to appropriate officials was both a legally and morally right thing to do, it is likely that the taxi driver will and certainly should get off with a violation and a small fine which would allow him to avoid a criminal conviction. The moral of the story is don’t lie, and speak with a criminal lawyer before giving statements.
