ELECTIONS / THOUSAND OAKS CITY COUNCIL : Candidate Asks for Lawyer; Arrest Warrant Dropped

Lance Winslow caught a ride to court in Simi Valley with a friend Wednesday.

Facing a warrant for his arrest after being stopped three times since February by police for driving without a license, the Thousand Oaks City Council candidate decided it was wise not to tempt fate any longer.

A subdued Winslow appeared briefly in court Wednesday afternoon before Court Commissioner David W. Long to ask that a public defender be assigned to his case.

Long rescinded the warrant after Winslow gave his written promise to appear in court again Monday to be arraigned on all three charges.

He was supposed to appear before Long earlier this week to clear up the third charge, a more serious violation because it includes not only driving without a license but also operating an unregistered vehicle.

But when he failed to appear, Long issued a warrant for his arrest. Long, who serves as a judge in the Simi court, flipped through a stack of files Wednesday pertaining to Winslow’s multiple violations.

“We appear to have several cases here,” he said. “Let’s take them one at a time.”

One by one, Long went through the charges, which began with an initial arrest in February for driving without a license, then spiraled into further trouble when Winslow bounced a $114 check paying the fine for the offense.

He was stopped again in March, then most recently on April 4, when police also cited him for not having valid registration for his carwash truck.

The charges against the 30-year-old council candidate were exacerbated by the fact he was already on probation for committing the same offense last year. Winslow said he believed his license had been returned on a restricted basis, allowing him to drive only for employment purposes.

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He said he learned that the restricted license had been suspended in February, the first time he was stopped. But he contends that the Department of Motor Vehicles blundered in taking it away, attributing it to a computer error or technical glitch by the DMV. Winslow said he hopes to straighten out that aspect of the case during a hearing with the DMV Friday.

As Long told Winslow that the arrest warrant was being rescinded, the jurist made it clear that he expects Winslow to show up for his arraignment Monday.

“Obviously, should you not be here I would not be a happy camper,” Long said.

Winslow said he paid $480 in fines Wednesday.

One of six candidates running in a council special election, Winslow said he is uncertain whether he will stay in the race. Last fall he finished ninth among 16 candidates, amid revelations then that he had been jailed twice for traffic violations, bouncing checks and non-payment of loans.

Outside the courtroom, Winslow ruminated on what these latest charges might do to his candidacy.

“How can you survive in California without a license?” he said. “They say one out of five residents don’t have one. That’s 20%. Wonder if that 20% will vote for me?”

And as he headed for a pay phone to call for a ride home, Winslow said he will not get behind the wheel again until his pending court cases are resolved.

“I’m not going to drive anymore,” he vowed. “This isn’t worth it. It’s too stressful.”