Man Can't Renew License To Drive Car He's Living In
Homeless Man Runs Into Problems With Recent State Law
POSTED: 6:54 pm EDT May 7, 2009
UPDATED: 7:59 pm EDT May 7, 2009
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INDIANAPOLIS -- A recent state law has left a homeless man unable to renew the license he needs to drive the car he lives in.Brian Wilkinson told Call 6's Rafael Sanchez that financial and personal hardships forced him onto the streets several years ago.Since then, the former correction officer has lived in his car, surviving on his food stamp allowance and help from a relative.
Wilkinson said he maintained a post office box to ensure he could get mail and renew his driver's license, which he did last in 2005. But this year, his renewal was denied on grounds that Wilkinson does not have a permanent address."It's just not possible right now," he told Sanchez. "I'm giving them an address. They're just not happy with it, and it's not right."
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle spokesman Dennis Rosebrough said a 2007 state law putting Indiana in line with new federal guidelines requires a physical address to get state-issued identification.
"We as the BMV, as the administrative agency, do not have the latitude to just waive the law and ignore it. So we must apply the law as written," he said.
Rosebrough said Wilkinson has two options. He can register his address with an area homeless shelter and it will receive his mail or he can ask a person with a valid driver's license to allow him to use their address.
Wilkinson said he is frustrated by all of the red tape needed to simply renew his license."I think its big brother trying to control us," he said. "I'm not a terrorist."
