I drank & ended up in the back of a Sheriff’s car

It was a great evening. My wife and I were at the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation’s yearly gala hosted by Bill Engvall. We had great food with great friends and all for a great cause.

We also had a lot to drink. Cocktails and wine were freely flowing to entice us to part with our donations to help those with spinal cord injuries.

My wife Tina indicated she was ready to leave and we went out and hopped in the car. Minutes later we saw the badge. It read Travis County Sheriff.

The deputy was very nice. He talked about how quiet the city was tonight and how he was having trouble finding all of the people downtown. He was glad we got in the back of his car without an incident. Then again why would we?

A few minutes later the deputy stopped in front of our house.

And he let us out.

Last night we left the house in a Ford Explorer. Mind you it wasn’t ours. It was owned by a woman from Detroit who spent 26 years in the automotive industry before moving to Austin and driving for Lyft. She dropped us off at the AT&T Center and left.

When Tina motioned we should leave I brought up Lyft’s app and 2 minutes later the deputy pulled up. No, he wasn’t in his Sheriff’s car, instead he was driving for Lyft while off duty.

We hopped in and I made a joke about how I feared for my life because he wasn’t fingerprinted. He laughed too and showed me his badge, hanging around his neck inside his shirt.

He was very nice and took great care of us — even stopping at an ATM so we could withdraw money for our babysitter. As he dropped us off I realized our alternative was driving ourselves and that option would have ended up with a ride in the Sheriff’s car, but with a different destination.

When it comes time for you to vote, please consider keeping Lyft and Uber in Austin. Thanks.

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