A 52-year-old driver pulled over in eastern Greene County had a passport from Honduras but no driver’s license.

A summons has been issued to Jose Raul Ramos Nolasco, 52, Indianapolis, ordering him to appear in Greene Superior Court on Thursday, November 12, for an initial hearing.

Ramos Nolasco is facing a charge of knowingly or intentionally operating a motor vehicle without ever receiving a license, a Class C misdemeanor.

In late September, Indiana State Police Trooper Eric Nash was patrolling State Road 445 west of State Road 45 in eastern Greene County when he saw a black SUV that was headed west on SR 445. At first, it appeared the SUV was pulling another vehicle behind it but as it passed, the trooper could see it was not put pulling the other vehicle. The other vehicle was following too closely to the back of the black SUV.

Trooper Nash initiated a traffic stop just east of State Road 45. The driver said he didn’t have a driver’s license and when Trooper Nash asked if anyone in the vehicle had a driver’s license, a Hispanic man in the front passenger seat handed over a driver’s license from Honduras. Trooper Nash asked if the driver had any identification at all and he produced a Honduras passport and an Indiana vehicle registration.

Jose Raul Ramos Nolasco was identified as the driver, based on his passport and his name on the vehicle registration. Ramos Nolasco indicated he had lived at his present address in Indianapolis for three years. He shrugged his shoulders when asked why he had never gotten an Indiana driver’s license. He also indicated he had never had a driver’s license in any other state or in Honduras.

Ramos Nolasco was given a citation and Trooper Nash allowed the passenger with the Honduras driver’s license to drive from the scene.