Cliff Harris? mom puts a Band-Aid over gushing traffic fines and fees

Cliff Harris should be thankful his mama loves him.

Only love -- and fear of her son's possible jail time -- would compel a mother to pay $1,620 in traffic fines for her 20-year-old, irresponsible son who was caught speeding down the freeway with a suspended license.

Harris, Oregon's All-American cornerback, was stopped on June 12 motoring 118 mph down Interstate 5 in a rented Nissan Altima. To make matters worse, Harris was driving with a suspended license thanks to several unpaid tickets and fees in both Oregon and his home state of California.

An attorney representing the Harris' presented the check to the Linn Country Circuit Court.

Unfortunately for Harris, his mother's generous contribution merely put a Band-Aid over a nicked artery. The $1,620 gets him in the clear of the fines incurred on June 12, but Harris still owes more than $8,500 for 11 unpaid fines both in Oregon and in his hometown of Fresno, Calif., dating back to December 2008.

According to a June 15 story by KEZI.com, several of Harris' fines have been sent to collection agencies.

Harris has these outstanding fines in Oregon Municipal Court, all of which he was found guilty by default for failing to appear in court. Another court official said the fine amounts below would actually be higher now with interest added, after being sent to Professional Credit Service for collections:

- $471.25 for Minor in Possession of Liquor (sent to collections 2/8/10)

- $408.75 for Speeding (sent to collections 7/26/10)

- $486.25 for Operating without Driving Privileges (sent to collections 7/26/10)

- $486.25 for Driving Uninsured (sent to collections 7/26/10)

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Fresno Superior Court records in California also show five more outstanding fines that are still in collections totaling $4,486. Those fines are for citations dating from December 20, 2008 to March 23, 2010. All but one took place before he arrived at Oregon as a freshman.

Harris is serving an indefinite suspension at Oregon and will at least miss the much-anticipated game between the Ducks and LSU at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Also, Oregon compliance continues to look into the Nissan Altima, which was rented by Oregon employee Mindy Schmidling, who is a payroll specialist in the office of business affairs. The NCAA is also looking into the rental.

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