When paranoia becomes reality...

It was almost midnight and I was driving home from "Scrap Night" in Bountiful. I decided to take the back-roads home. It was a beautiful night and I was enjoying the time alone, so why not? As I reached Kaysville I noticed a very nice car behind me who just happened to be turning everywhere I was turning.

This sort of thing hapens all the time with complete innocent strangers... but in the back of our minds we always wonder "is this person really following me, or do we just happen to have pretty nearly the same destination?". But we always laugh it off, because in reality, how many times is it someone who really IS following us? Hardly ever, if at all.

I decided to turn down a less busy road. So did he.

I thought to myself "maybe I just happen to be headed in the same direction he's going.

I turned my music up louder to calm my nerves. I've always been one to imagine up in my mind things far worse than they actually are. I figured this was just one of those times.

I turned into a familar neighborhood. So did the nice car. In my rearview mirror I could see the car starting to follow behind even closer. Dang, I was turning everywhere this guy had to go! So I hurried through the tiny neighborhood towards the main road. I turned into a small cul de sac to turn around. The nice car passed where I was and onto the busy street. I went back through the small neighborhood where I had come, and the car went on his way.

*WHEW* I was just being paranoid!

But as I reached the end of the neighborhood the same car rounded the corner and sped up behind me.

I couldn't tell if it was the same car, or a new one that looked similar. It was a nice car, dark silver, and tinted windows.

But how could I be sure? I turned down a less busy road. He followed.

I pulled over to the side of the road. He stopped right behind me.

I freaked. I knew I was being followed, and it was way too dark to see any license plate numbers. Immediately I knew my next destination was the police station.

All my doors were locked and I quickly turned around, passing the car, onto the busy road. I called my mom in a panic, letting her know that someone was following me. She told me to head to the police station. I made it back to the main road, the car in close pursuit. My mom said she was about to call 9-1-1 when suddenly the car behind me turned on his lights.

Cop lights, that is.

I can tell you I've never been more happy to see those three colors flash in the rear-view mirror before. I was so overwhelmed with so many different feelings at that point that I screamed into the phone "It's just the cops! I'm okay mom. I'll call you right back!"

I was so relieved to the point of tears that the pursuing car was merely an undercover cop car. BUT WHAT ON EARTH....?!?!

The policeman approached my car with a flashlight. He introduced himself as Detective so-and-so, and asked to see my license. I shoved it into his hands.

"I am so glad you are a cop," I said, "I thought you were some freak following me! I was actually headed to the police station right now."

The cop began to apologize over and over again; I think he could tell how distressed I had become from his little pursuit.

He shone the light in my car and told me, "There's just been a lot of car burglary in this area, and so I just decided to follow you for a ways and see where you were headed. When you turned into this particular neighborhood I just decided to keep following. And when I saw you make that U-turn in that cul de sac I figured you were up to no good. I was just trying to check your tags."

At this point I felt like yelling to the poor guy.... "DON'T YOU REALIZE HOW FREAKED OUT I WAS!?"

But I didn't. Instead I said "All I knew was that someone seemed to be going my same direction, and out of nowhere you came again and kept in hot pursuit. I was serious about heading to the police station to see if you would follow all the way... I'm just glad you ended up pulling me over so I knew you were a good guy..."

He told me I had done the right thing, and the only reason he hadn't pulled me over sooner was because I was driving too well for any reason TO have him pull me over to check and see if I WAS a criminal. I hadn't made a complete stop at a sign so that's when he could pull me over.

Dang cops and their undercover cars. I was so scared out of my mind...

So in retrospect; if you think you are being followed (and you truly ARE), call 9-1-1 and continue on to the police station. Too many people have been kidnapped or hurt because of idiots who follow other cars. Just get yourself to the police station and stay in your car. (I sound like a paranoid freak, but seriously..) And stay on the phone with the police station. You will get help.

I was just lucky that my pursuer was just a cop, and nothing worse.

So he apologized again and let me on my way.

Such a defining moment for me...
UGH.