This is the uplifting moment a judge lets a struggling mother walk away without a fine for speeding after an emotional plea from her son.
Mrs Ramos, a mother-of-two, had been summoned to court for going over the speed limit on Huntington Avenue, in Rhode Island.
Municipal Court Judge Frank Caprio can be seen joking around and asking if the mother’s two children are her lawyers.
Mrs Ramos, a mother-of-two, had been summoned to court for going over the speed limit on Huntington Avenue, in Rhode Island
During the video Municipal Court Judge Frank Caprio was seen joking around and asking if the mother’s two children are her lawyers. The judge called Mrs Ramos’s son Armando up to his seat
He asked boy: ‘ ɴᴏᴡ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɪs ᴀ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴠɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴏғ ᴀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀsᴇ?’
Judge Caprio brings the Mrs Ramos’s son, named Armando, up to his seat and asks him about his mother’s case.
Judge Caprio says: ‘Now, you think your mother is a person deserving of of a break in the case?’
To which Armando replies: ‘yes’ and smiles at his mother.
Judge Caprio says: ‘So if you were me and you had to change your mother, would you charge $95? Would you charge her court costs of $60?
ʜᴇ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ʙᴏʏ: ‘So if you were me and you had to change your mother, ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴀʀɢᴇ $95? ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴀʀɢᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛ ᴄᴏsᴛs ᴏғ $60?’
ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀʀᴍᴀɴᴅᴏ ʟᴇᴀɴs ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪᴄʀᴏᴘʜᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴀʏ ‘ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴅɪsᴍɪss ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀsᴇ’, ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴜᴅɢᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋs ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀʏs: ‘you made a good impression today’
ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ʙᴏʏ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛғᴇʟᴛ ᴘʟᴇᴀ ɪɴ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀɪᴅ ‘My mom, she’s looking for work ᴄᴏs sʜᴇ’s ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴏᴜʀ ʜᴏᴜsᴇ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ’s ᴡʜʏ sʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ sᴘᴇɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ ᴏɴ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ’
‘ᴏʀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪsᴍɪss ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀsᴇ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ?’
ᴀʀᴍᴀɴᴅᴏ ʟᴇᴀɴs ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪᴄʀᴏᴘʜᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀʏ: ”I would dismiss the case’
ᴊᴜᴅɢᴇ ᴄᴀᴘʀɪᴏ ʟᴏᴏᴋs ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀʏs: ‘ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɪᴍᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ.
The camera ᴛʜᴇɴ ғᴏᴄᴜsᴇs ᴏɴ ᴍʀs ʀᴀᴍᴏs ᴡʜᴏ ʟᴏᴏᴋs ᴠɪsɪʙʟʏ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴀᴛ her son’s words
‘ɪs ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴇʟsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ sᴀʏ?’
ᴛᴏ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴀʀᴍᴀɴᴅᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ᴀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛғᴇʟᴛ ᴘʟᴇᴀ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀʏs: ‘ᴍʏ ᴍᴏᴍ, sʜᴇ’s ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴄᴏs sʜᴇ’s ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ our house. That’s why she can’t spend her money on anything.
ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴀ ғᴏᴄᴜsᴇs ᴏɴ ᴍʀs ʀᴀᴍᴏs ᴡʜᴏ ʟᴏᴏᴋs ᴠɪsɪʙʟʏ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴀᴛ ʜᴇʀ sᴏɴ’s ᴡᴏʀᴅs.
ᴛʜɪs ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴄᴀᴘʀɪᴏ ʜᴀs ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɴᴄʜ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴘᴀss judgment on their parents
Judge Caprio says: ‘This would be a real tough financial burden on her, is that what you’re telling me?’
To which Armando replies: ‘yes’
Judge Caprio says: ‘Shake my hand, Look me in the eye. You’re a good kid, you love your mom. You made a good plea on her behalf.
‘You’re showing me that you understand the hardship that your mother is going through.’
The judge pats the boy on his shoulder as his mother looks relieved at the outcome of the case.
Judge Frank Caprio has been winning hearts on social media with a mix of compassion, humor and a rotating cast of poor souls who have been ticketed in Providence.
Caprio calls children to come up on the bench to help pass judgment on their parents and makes high schoolers promise to attend college in return for dropping tickets.
He works out payment plans for people who are struggling.
The judge thinks he’s gone viral because people have lost faith in government and are accustomed to institutions coming down hard without regard for personal circumstances.
He said: ‘I think I should take into consideration whether somebody is sick and whether their mother died and whether they have kids who are starving,’ he said. ‘I don’t wear a badge under my robe. I wear a heart under my robe.’
Watch the video below:
