MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis police said a driver stopped Wednesday in East Memphis had a fake drive-out tag on his car and several more inside his vehicle.
An officer said he pulled over Derjuan Hilliard on Mt. Moriah Road north of Willow when he became suspicious of a new Arkansas drive-out tag on a car that had old damage to the left rear.
The officer said he was given permission to search the 21-year-old’s Chevrolet Camaro and found four Tennessee drive-out tags. All of the tags had an expiration date of 9/11/2021.
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Police said a report was taken on Hilliard back in April involving a gun in the same Camaro, and the report showed at the time there was a temporary tag on the same car.
Officers said Hilliard told them he contacts the dealership he bought his car from to get drive-out tags because he does not have a license.
A WREG investigation showed fake temporary tags are also being used to skirt taxes and vehicle registration fees and get around undetected by law enforcement.
Fake drive-out tags a real and growing problem on Memphis-area roads
Detective Tobey Shaw with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said criminals are putting phony tags on stolen cars or while committing crimes since they’re hard to trace.
WREG spotted drive-out tags for sale all over Facebook Marketplace, some as cheap as $20.
Everyone is required by law to register their car. The District Attorney’s Office said you could also face felony charges if you’re altering the tags or titles.
Police said Hilliard did not have a license, proof of registration, or insurance. He is charged with five counts of altering, falsifying, or forging auto titles or assignment of plates, driving without a license and violating vehicle registration, and financial responsibility.
He goes before a judge on August 26.