Westport Hash Brown Dispute Featured On Late Night Show

WESTPORT, CT — Nearly a month after winning out in court, a Westport man's fight against a distracted driving ticket he received last year is still getting national attention. The story was featured in Tuesday night's episode of "Late Night with Seth Meyers" during a segment called "The Kind of Story We Need Right Now."

For those unfamiliar with the case, Westport resident Jason Stiber was pulled over by police in April 2018 for allegedly talking on his cellphone and was issued a $300 distracted driving ticket. Stiber however disputed the charge and claimed he was eating a McDonald's hash brown, not talking on the phone.

"In the officer's defense, they are pretty similar," Meyers said during the segment, showing a picture of an iPhone next to a similarly shaped hash brown.

Stiber took his case to court to dispute the ticket and was initially found guilty, which he appealed. When he went to court a second time, Norwalk Superior Court Judge Maureen Dennis found him not guilty.

"This is the kind of story we need right now," Meyers said. "Most of us are ashamed when we eat McDonald's in our cars, but not this guy. This guy went to court to prove that's what he was doing."

To prove his innocence, Stiber hired a lawyer. He also provided cell phone records that showed he was not on his phone at the time the ticket was issued, proof that his car has bluetooth and, much to Meyers' amusement, the receipt for the hash brown.

"How did [Stiber] still have the receipt for a hash brown? I'm not sure I know where my birth certificate is," Meyers said.