Identity Crisis

Preparing for a Labor Day weekend camping trip with his kids, Leslie Bakonyi packed his car with the essentials: tent, sleeping bags, ice cooler.

But the most important thing Bakonyi would be taking along on this outing was a manila file folder full of paperwork.

During the last seven years, Bakonyi says, he has been named on as many as 14 tickets for driving offenses he did not commit. The file folder contains information Bakonyi has collected while clearing a driving record he says was muddied by Jamie Dwayne Davison, his ex-wife’s cousin.

Davison, 31, was arrested in Federal Way, Wash., on Aug. 15 by Washington State Patrol trooper Herb Jackson. He was charged with giving false information, obstruction of justice and driving under the influence. He was booked into the King County Jail.

All were related to a drunk driving stop Jackson made on Feb. 26. Jackson said Davison was the driver, but gave Bakonyi’s name.

“The guy had no remorse,” Jackson said and added that this is a problem commonly seen by troopers.

The Washington State Department of Licensing is also considering action against Davison. Deborah Brittain, supervisor of driver’s services for the department of licensing, said Davison could lose his licensing privileges for up to a year.

“This gentleman has continuously gotten away with…being me,” Bakonyi said, frustration evident in in his voice and every wrinkle of his face.

Efforts to reach Davison were unsuccessful.

Bakonyi said his license has been revoked three times. A collection agency has tried to collect $150.26 for a ticket issued on New Year’s Eve in King County. And, although Bakonyi’s insurance company has never dropped him, he said it has been a constant struggle to keep it that way.

Davison first used Bakonyi’s name in 1988 to avoid taking responsibility for a speeding ticket in Spokane, Bakonyi said. After learning of the ticket, Bakonyi confronted Davison, who assured him it would never happen again.

Bakonyi believed him. “My ex-wife and him were very, very close,” Bakonyi said. “And I treated him like she treated him.”

Currently, Bakonyi said, three tickets are pending in two Washington counties and his license is revoked. The 35-year-old father of two is charged with three counts of failure to appear in court for citations of driving under the influence, reckless driving and not having a valid driver’s license.

Bakonyi did not know about the tickets or the warrants until he was almost arrested on July 23. Spokane County sheriff’s deputies went to Bakonyi’s house and asked him to keep the noise down in his hot tub.

When deputies checked his record, they discovered the warrants and wanted to take him to the Spokane County Jail to be transported to the King County Jail, Bakonyi said.

He was shocked, but not bewildered.

Bakonyi told deputies that Davison has been using his name on traffic tickets for seven years. Using the file, which includes letters from prosecutors, copies of past tickets and names and numbers of people he has talked to during his fight, Bakonyi convinced the deputies to let him go.

“The only defense I have is that,” Bakonyi said and gestured toward the file spread out on his dining room table. Bakonyi carries the file with him everywhere he goes in case he is stopped.

But Bakonyi did not let it go. The week after he found out about the charges, Bakonyi submersed himself in purging his record.

“Nothing at that point was satisfying to me,” Bakonyi said.

During the last month, he has logged 208 minutes in long distance time. Bakonyi has been told two tickets in King County have been taken care of but said he will believe it when he has a letter he can add to his file.

“It’s a constant obsession with me until I get the matter resolved,” Bakonyi said.

Clearing up the confusion has proved as frustrating as somebody else using his name, Bakonyi said. He has contacted the Department of Licensing, the Washington State Patrol, the King County prosecutor’s office, the Grant County prosecutor’s office and the office of state Sen. James West, R-Spokane, to name a few.

Bakonyi blames the Department of Licensing for allowing someone else to use his name for so long. Bakonyi said that for years he has asked that his driving record be flagged so that a police officer would be instructed to ask for more identification and information any time he - or anyone using his name - is stopped. After the latest incident, he has been told one now appears.

Department of Licensing spokeswoman Penny Christopherson said the Olympia office was not contacted until July 25. The flag was put on Bakonyi’s license the next day.

“As soon as we heard about it, we took care of it,” Christopherson said.

“Even though they have been cooperative (recently), it’s too late,” he said. “It’s been too late for a while.”

Bakonyi’s cynicism showed recently when the King County prosecutor’s office called to tell him that Davison had been caught and was going to be charged.

His only reaction was a guarded grin.

“This is the first good luck in years,” Bakonyi said.

His collection of traffic tickets, paperwork and phone bills is evidence that this may be just another battle won in his seven-year war of frustration.

Tickets still pending

Three tickets are still pending against Bakonyi in two Washington counties. Bakonyi maintains that all three were actually issued to Jamie Dwayne Davison.

Mar. 4, 1995 Davison is stopped by a Washington State Patrol trooper for reckless driving in Grant County. He was traveling at speeds up to 100 miles per hour, troopers said. The penalty is mandatory court appearance.

Feb. 26, 1995 Davison is stopped by a Washington State Patrol trooper in King County on suspicion of drunk driving.

Dec. 31, 1994 Davison is cited for not having a valid driver’s license in King County.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story:

‘Flag’ on license can head off falsified identity Deborah Brittain of the Washington state Department of Licensing said people can take steps to protect themselves if they believe someone else is trying to use their identity. First, she said, they should ask the Department of Licensing to “flag” their driving record. Such a flag alerts a police officer who has made a traffic stop that things may not be as they seem. The officer is instructed to require the driver to produce additional identification and explain any unusual circumstances. “It lets us know we’ve got to go a little more in-depth to find out who’s who,” said Herb Jackson, a Washington State Patrol trooper. Brittain also encouraged drivers to monitor their own driving record by matching the number on any ticket they get with the numbers that appear on their record. If a person suspects there is a problem, Brittain recommends they go to the local Department of Licensing office and request a printout of their driving record. A printout covering the last three years is available for $4.50. “This happens a lot,” said Penny Christopherson, a Department of Licensing spokeswoman. “Usually (the victim) knows who is using their identity.”