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Johnathon Carlson was driving home from a weeklong family vacation in Florida with three of his children when he was pulled over by a county sheriff south of Atlanta. Carlson said he was told by a Crisp County Sheriff that his tribally issued licensed plates weren’t allowed on Georgia roads. 

“We were just going back and forth about it,” said Carlson. “He kept telling me they're fake.” 

Carlson, a Red Lake tribal citizen, said he’s never had an issue with his plates before. 

In response to questions from MPR News, Teresa Ward, a spokesperson for the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office said Carlson was stopped for a speeding violation and provided no additional details. 

The plates are issued by Red Lake Nation, a tribal nation in the northwest corner of Minnesota. Carlson lives in North Branch, north of the Twin Cities. 

One of the officers, a sergeant with Crisp County demanded he remove the plates or be charged with a more serious offense while the car was impounded. 

Carlson said he complied rather than risk arrest while his three young children were in the car. He was issued two citations, one for license plates and one for speeding. 

When the stop was over, Carlson said he continued driving on Interstate 75 to the nearest exit and called 911 for guidance on what he should do without license plates. Carlson said he ended the call when the same sheriff he had argued with minutes earlier called him back. 

Carlson said he then drove several hundred miles to Illinois where he stopped to put his plates back on his vehicle believing it might be easier to make it home with plates than without. 

The whole ride home, it was pretty nervous. I was pretty nervous,

After Carlson posted his experience to social media, the sheriff’s office spokesperson messaged Carlson on social media. Ward’s message stated the state of Georgia recognizes license plates issued by other U.S. states, the District of Columbia and foreign countries, but Georgia does not have an agreement in place with Red Lake Nation. 

Ward, who confirmed to MPR News she sent the message to Carlson, wrote “without a formal agreement between Georgia and Red Lake, Red Lake issued license plates would be considered invalid in Georgia.” 

Red Lake Nation attorney Joe Plumer, who is not representing Carlson in the matter, said Georgia should respect Red Lake’s authority to issue license plates, and Minnesota’s recognition of tribally issued plates should be enough for the state of Georgia to do the same. He says federal law requires states to respect the public records and court proceedings of every other state.  

“This is something that [Carlson] has a right to do, and just because this [Georgia] sheriff may not understand all of the nuances of the reciprocity agreements that we have doesn't mean that what John was doing was wrong,” Plumer said. 

A similar issue around Red Lake Nation license plates was litigated in Minnesota over five decades ago when the Department of Public Safety appealed to the state’s high court arguing Red Lake license plates were not valid on Minnesota roads. Red Lake Nation was the first in the country to issue license plates to its members. 

The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that the state must accept Red Lake Nation license plates as validly issued license plates. While the ruling was specific to Red Lake, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety applies it to all tribally issued license plates.  

Plumer added that Red Lake has issued license plates to tribal members living outside Red Lake lands for almost a decade.

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The state does not track or regulate tribally issued license plates, according to DPS spokesperson Jen Longaecker. 

“Tribal plates (and their data) reside with the tribal nation, not the State of Minnesota,” Longaecker said. 

Attorney Joe Plumer said he is working with the Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns, part of a state agency devoted to natural resources, state parks and historic sites, to try to resolve the matter. 

A staff member who works with the Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns said he could not comment on the matter other than to say the council is working to communicate between parties. 

Carlson has been given a court date in early May for both citations. 

Correction (April 22, 2025): A previous version of this story misstated the road Johnathon Carlson was traveling on when pulled over. The story has been updated.

Melissa Olson

Author

A Red Lake tribal member says he was “relieved” to return to his North Branch home following a traffic stop in Georgia that resulted in his tribal license plates being removed.

A Red Lake tribal member says he was "relieved" to return to his North Branch home following a traffic stop in Georgia that resulted in his tribal license plates being removed. 

Red Lake Nation citizen cited for ‘fake’ license plates in Georgia

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