Meet Tammy Lemasters, a 42-year-old mother of three teenagers, who recently moved to Clermont, Florida. She didn’t notice anything wrong with her new driver’s license until she appeared in court for a traffic ticket and received disapproving looks from the judge and bailiff.
In the bottom right corner of her new license, the words “Sexual Predator” were printed in blue capital letters.
Lemasters was labeled a sexual predator due to a mistake by a clerk at the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
“She wanted to be an organ donor, and she came out a sexual predator,” attorney John Phillips said.
“[Lemasters] started noticing people were treating her the wrong way,” Phillips said. “[A] hotel wouldn’t let her stay. [She] went to Disney World, the ‘Happiest Place on Earth,’ [and] they said, ‘We can’t let you in the park.’”
Lemasters threatened to sue the Florida DMV unless steps are taken to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen to anyone else.
“It’s so embarrassing and shouldn’t be something that should have happened,” she said. “They need to change.”
Phillips said they won’t file a lawsuit if the system changes. “This isn’t about money at all,” he said. “It’s about preventing it from happening to others.”
Mark O’Keefe, manager of the drivers-license office where the error occurred, said employees are now asking customers to check their licenses and will receive new training.
“We’re just humans doing a human job, and we can make human mistakes,” O’Keefe said.
Lemasters received an apology and has since been issued a new license, but Phillips said he’s had three other individuals approach him after having “sexual predator” accidentally printed on their state issued identification, including a blind man.
Unbelievable. That can ruin a person’s reputation for life.
No doubt. I’m surprised she didn’t sue for such a stupid mistake.
But, was it a mistake? Or was it some twit thinking it’s a joke? Seeing that it happened more than once I’d have to be suspicious that it was done on purpose. Maybe not, but, I would force the issue!!