State v. Haughawout

The primary issue before the court in these assignments of error is whether a valid operator’s license is an essential prerequisite to a driving under a suspension charge.

A suspension is the physical temporary possession of a license, ostensibly to be forwarded to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles; it acts as a temporary denial of total driving rights by the state, which may be modified to allow limited driving. State v. Green (Oct. 15, 1987), Cuyahoga App. Nos. 52629 and 52630, unreported, 1987 WL 18483. A suspension of a license ordinarily is for a definite, stated period — a temporary…