palmerwmd

I paid $350 for a "two Fer" 2 tickets in same 3 months period rolled into one one speed (70 in a 55 a area the cops routinely travel 80) and one drag racing (= revocation of license if guilty)

We got my court date moved again and then another time.
Cop didnt show= dismissal.

Fred..

capnfrantic

Why don't you double it and say $1800. ? The Rat is right, Again have you thought about insurance? The first time they run your MVR you will either get cancelled or pay dearly for this mistake. Not to mention how long it takes to drop off your record. X number of years times X amount insurance went up! This should be a no-brainer by now...

ruah_23

Fight the case!
From the story u told me, the cop was following you, so there's no way for him to clock in your speed.Even if he did, u should ask the prove of the speed and the calibration that was done before his duty.Get a good lawyer and fight it.
Good driving records are important this day esp if u wanna get a job.

sq40

iTrader: (4)

Dude, You are over analyzing the whole thing.

$900 is a bargain if you even have a 50% chance of getting out of a felony. Period.

I Hate JDM

It's funny when people say they KNOW something, but they are wrong about what they KNOW. In Texas, you can have your speed trapped by MR (Moving Radar), pacing, or an estimate. I have recieved a ticket where I was paced. They can do it, they do do it, and they will continue to do it.

jt1652

The officer may have released you with a summons to appear and his report may indicate that you are an arrestee, even though you were not booked into a detention facility. Did the officer give you a form that appeared to be a standard citation? Did the officer give you a case number?
I would suggest you obtain a copy the officers report to check if you are listed as an arrestee. Good luck.

sentry65

iTrader: (11)

again for the thousandth time, I have no proof or am even sure the cop was tailgating me. In court they'll probably say the officer was pacing me - which is a standard procedure thing

I felt like people were closing in on me, but I have no proof - not even my memory is that good about it cause I didn't think much about it to really analyze the location of all the cars around me. It's just a thought that crossed my mind afterword that maybe I didn't see his lights go on because he was really close to me? It's a huge assumption/theory to claim in court considering I'm not even sure about it.

There were two cops who pulled me over. I'm sure the cop's buddy cop would testify they were not tailgating me

Santacruzslick

iTrader: (12)

It seems almost like they "forced" you to speed. Sounds like total BS to me. Cop decided to be a total A$$ F*CK and ride your tail to try and get you to speed up and get out of the way. Just go to court and explain how you "thought" *wink wink* that it was a drunk driver behind you riding up on you and you didn't feel safe so you accelerated to get out of his way for your own safety.

smiles

Sorry if that has already been - please disregard if it has....

That sinking feeling in your stomach is you knowing you are hosed. Trust me, I have been there - more than once. When you go to court, your earlier ticket will be brought up and you will be automatically placed in a light of guilt.

First off, in case no one has said this ( i am sure someone has) - get a lawyer. A good one. A lawyer that would sue his own grandma and bring up her crack habits when he puts her on the stand. You want someone who will fight for their $800-$1000.00 and call into question, not only the radar gun, but the method, the officer, etc.

Secondly - learn from it. Don't do it again. This was my mistake.

Thirdly - get some rest - LOL. You can't do anything about this now. Once you get your lawyer, its going to be on his shoulders. Takes the burden off you a bit. Let him figure out the best strategy. You can't change this now.

I know it sucks - but the reality is - 3 years from now, you won't care. Odds are a good lawyer will keep you out of jail. You probably will still get a ticket, and what kind really depends on how generous the prosecutor is that day in pleading cases down. Cops are on to that "radar calibration" arguement, so it probably won't fly. But you main goal is not to be incarcerated at this point. Everything else is secondary.

boldenmd

Exactly.

fahrenheit350

iTrader: (15)

I might have advice or suggestions that might help you out. Its from my previous experience when I was 16. My first car was a pass me down from my older bro, a 92 300zxTT with a bunch of hks stuff so it was pretty damn fast. I was really an immature driver my first several months. 3 months after i got my license i was caught at a speed trap doing 80 in a 35. In maryland that equals reckless with is 6 points and speeding another 3 points. $1300 total, cop gave me no clemency (didnt expect it). anyways, court date was in scheduled 2 months after the ticket. instead of anticipating the worst, i was determined to ease the impact in court. i took driver improvement class that was set up by the state police, safety class from the county police and advance driving school (private company). parents sold the z on top of that i made a presentation of 'the consequences of speeding' to my classmates in school. had the principle sign off on that. on the day of court, i pleaded guilty (insanity, j/k) and pleated my attempt to change. i got off with $200 fine with 1 point. conclusion: there is still hope. after that incident i've been clean for 7 yrs (no tix, no accidents)

05-Z

iTrader: (4)

If nobody has referred you to a lawyer already, talk to a few and choose your favorite. You would be surprised at how their fees can vary, and one lawyer may have more experience (success!) with these citations than the other.

And while $900 may sound a lot, trust me, it could be much, much worse. Mine was. In Fairfax County (right next to DC) many Judge's have a "informal" rule: 1 day of jail for every MPH about 90. Some counties take speeding more seriously than others, it all depends.

Basically it's going to boil down to this: Your lawyer's relationship with the prosecuter, your lawyer's ability to come up with a compromise you can deal with and the prosecuter accepts, the prosecuters recommendation to the Judge, and weather the Judge accepts everything. One last thing, if your lawyer doesn't like the prosecuter ask for a continuance and try to get a more favorable one.

Take your county's reckless/driver improvement program ahead of time. Have a copy of your driving record with you on your court date. Dress well, and be apologetic abolut the experience if asked anything. You might not even need to say a word.

Good luck, everything will work out.

westpak

iTrader: (19)

Wow, I guess I am lucky to live in Florida, all of this talk about expensive lawyers, court dates, taking courses being apologetic in court.... Man I got 5 tickets last year alone, one for 101 in a 65, another for 67 in 45, and then 3 in one stop which included 75 in a 45, improper lane change and careless driving, the guy had a bad day I guess.

But I did not go to court one single time, I just called the lawyer gave him my credit card number and faxed over the ticket, the next I hear about anything is a letter from him saying what the outcome was of each one. The 101 in 65 was in another county so harder but got adjudication witheld with no points just court costs of 200 plus lawyer of 85, the 3 tickets in one stop were dismissed as the cop failed to show only cost was lawyer for 200, and the 67 in a 45 also got dismissed for cop not showing up and cost 85, so the total for all tickets last year was 570.00.

Come on 93 in a 65 that is nothing, I am not proud of my tickets as I think some are bogus and I guess their not showing makes a point, but I guess I don't understand why the rest of the country is like commiting murder.

sentry65

iTrader: (11)

yeah, they treated me like I was a drug smuggler trying to kill people with my car or something.

The other cop was all making comments about my car saying how it'd never hold up in a wreck going 93mph. That it would be torn to shreds. I'm can't totally dissagree with him, but the Z has way better crash ratings than most other cars on the road.

Also when they said how they were trying to prevent another accident (me) from happening. Of course I was dying to say "accident with what? there was no traffic around me at all when you pulled me over"

I'll figure it out, I gotta wait until monday to get a police report cause the records dept closed for the weekend. One lady said they probably didn't write a report - usually it's only for a collision or a real crime.

I just don't want to do the 30 days in jail - even if it's over the weekend, that's 15 weeks worth of jail weekends. I don't mind so much paying the fine or probation. The 3 points kinda sucks and my insurance going up kinda sucks, but just did a quote from progressive and their rate for 2 speeding tickets (don't have "criminal speeding" as an option) - the rate wasn't too bad. In fact it's exactly what I'm currently paying with Met.

thanks for everyone's comments. I've felt like this once when I wrecked my first Z and life goes on...

Reggi914

iTrader: (3)

dont know the laws in AZ but i know someone who got pulled over doing 95 in a 55 in jersey and got off with just a fine. He hired a lawyer and that was that.

fahrenheit350

iTrader: (15)

hopefully (but not likely) the cop won't show up and you'll be off the hook.

nitrousoxidex

iTrader: (4)

man, wish u best of luck for everythin.

350zluvr

This is information that I had received from a lawyer in Texas.

What do you mean by moving radar and an estimate?

Out of curiosity, were did you get your information from?

bstfugtfomrfn

iTrader: (1)

I practice law in Florida, which really doesn't do you a lot of good, but I have seen a this type of thing hundreds of times and might be able to help you answer some of your questions.

1. First off, the reason you are getting really high quotes from attorneys is because this is a criminal matter. We're not talking about a civil infraction, were not talking about a traffic code violation or citation, were talking about a crime. Thus, the higher prices. As you mentioned, this sounds like a 2nd degree misde, and your facing substantial fines and possible county time.

2. There are many occasions where I will tell a potential client to save his money and take care of their problem on their own. I'm not sure this is one of those cases, but I could be wrong. I suggest you first try dealing with the assistant state attorney on your own. If you cant get anywhere, hire an attorney at that point. Realize that asa's covering misdemeanors are typically young, and inundated with work. Ask for non adjudication and min fines and expect some minor probation (possible community service). <---(This is called 'pleading out'.) The only problem about doing it yourself, is asa's (being young and having something to prove) love ripping up pro se defendants, and may not 'respect' your plea. If you cant get anywhere with him/her, hire an attorney.

3. The stop. I read your post, and to be honest with you this is typical. Cops are out for a drug bust. For cops, Busts are nice come promotion time. Then again, Cops are (like anyone) lazy, and are not going to go through the paper work and booking to pinch a 'criminal speeder.' The thing with a drug bust, is you got to be able to search the car (unless the drugs are in "plain view") To do this (the easiest ways are) they either need you to give them permission to search, or; they can search your car without your permission incident to an arrest. Sounds like here, they had a reason to arrest you, did... then when they found no drugs after a search incident to arrest, let you fly.

4. All those other facts you listed, regarding the flashing and the tailing.... aren't really great bro. Unfortunately, those type of facts come down to your word against theirs... and we all know how our word fairs against theirs. (not good) Especially when there was another cop there who will undoubtedly corroborate everything the arresting officer says.

Bottom line... Good luck man, just like everyone else said, if you find that the asa isn't giving you any respect, hire an attorney. Any advice I have given you is just helpful opinion, (aka I am NOT giving you legal Counsel), sorry for the need to give you a disclaimer.


-AJ


Ps. Westpak... next time you get pinched, shoot me a pm

westpak

iTrader: (19)

Funny, ironic not haha, you should mention that, just got pinched for the first time this year last Wednesday, it is a pain driving sport cars they are prejudiced against us, here is a synopsis just to illustrate my point and why I feel they pick on us. I was driving the 300ZX TT which is a little noisier than the 350Z:

I am on a leisurely drive home down Boynton Beach Blvd I pass a cop on the other side of the road with someone pulled over, I keep going and my radar goes off so I think it was his and after a reflex keep going, then all of a sudden it goes off again I hit the brakes and see another one in the median in the left facing the same direction we were.

Now there were three of us in the same area, one car was on the right lane a couple of car lengths in front, I was in the middle lane and then another one in the left lane with his front bumper even with my rear bumper.

As soon as the radar goes off I hit the brakes and end up even with the guy on the left, he then all of the sudden hits his brakes and falls back, I guess he saw the cop. I keep going, after we pass the cop he pulls on the road I have slowed down and guess who he pulls over.

Here are my problems with the stop, how the hell did he pick me out of the three cars, considering we were relatively close and he was with his back to us !!!!!!!! So guess what, my smart *** attitude asks him what speed were the other cars next to me going and why did he pull me over, he says because I accelarated, horse ****, I hit the brakes (I didn't say that) I just said "you could tell I accelarated with your back to us??" plus all he could see where headights it was 11:30 pm, he said yes, and I said gotcha, and pulled out exhaust blaring I was so pissed.

Is that a line they teach them in the police academy when multiple cars are next to eachother, just to say you were accelarating. For pete's sake, it was pitch dark with just lights coming at him and he had his back to us. ******* the only reason he picked me was the Z, because I saw he originally got behind the car to my left and after a few seconds came after me.

My first step is to send it in on the 29th day as not guilty and when I get the court date call the lawyer.