Fighting tickets?

Yah you get the ticket with the price on and you can send it in and thats a guilty plea, the court sends a paper out stating when the date is if you wish to appear.

I would go to court and plead your case but do not tell them you could not read the signs as they are huge and visable. But you can explain that you have never driven much in that area and was alittle confussed and last your way. The judge will probably listen and see that it was just a boner move and that you were just trying to figure your way out. But did you explain to the officer what was happening and if you did was he just not listening as that may work for you in court. Just get ready if you do go to court to be in and out for awhile and the officer does not have to show for the first time you appear as this is when you tell them if you plan to plead guilty or not guilty. When the trial is set then he will have to be there. There was no set court date on your fine just a fine with the set demerit points right.

Yes I did try to talk to the officer and he didn't wanna hear anything he maybe talked to me for a combined 2 minutes. He just got my info and wrote up the ticket in his car then gave it to me.

The signs are probably huge but it was at 12:00 am (dark out) and just after a long concert and what not. Obviously my attention span was kind of short but I guess I just didn't notice them by the time I decided to turn.

I will probably go to court and plea guilty with an explanation which is one of the options on the ticket.

How may days do you figure this will take? I have to take off school for each one....

Zac

Thats the way we do it in Ontario. Our judicial system and government is a complete joke.

I will start this by saying I am not Canadian so I cannot speak on the laws you have in place or the procedures set forth. I can give a little bit of overall insight as I have lived in MANY states and multiple countries and enforce military regulations/instructions on a daily basis.

1. It sounds as though the officer may have already wtitten the ticket (in his head) before even approaching your window. Profiling is wrong but it happens daily, it's human nature.

2. ALWAYS plead your case, maybe the officer had a bad day and will be more receptive to you before or during your first court date. What's to lose?

3. When you do get to court, bring a copy of your driving record, be clean shaved, wear slacks a button-up and dress shoes. You want to look, speak and act intelligent and educated. You should appear in court as an upstanding citizen "John Q. Public", if you will. Cover up your tattoos if possible, etc.

4. If the officer doesn't cooperate prior to or during trial, throw yourself on the mercy of the judge, or, if possible, request a jury trial.

5. If you can have a jury trial postpone the date as many times as possible. Officers tend to move to new divisions, departments, etc every few years. If he's isn't there to state what he saw, they have no case. If he does show up, you want the incident to be so far back in his memory it's unclear.

6. ALWAYS remain tactful, and respectful; it goes a long way when dealing with authority of any sort.

7. Keep your nose clean between now and then. You don't want so much as a parking ticket to tarnish your record.

Worst case, they don't help you any and you postponed the inevitable.

Good luck, Brad

Not true. Often times the solicitor will drop the case, but if you get one that is mean enough he will uphold it. Cobb County doesn't mess around.

For the thread starter, I wouldn't try to plea ignorance. Try explaining your case to the solicitor (if you use them up there) or the judge and pretty much plea for mercy. Use your clean record as leverage.

not sure if you guys realize this but the original post was from 2008. im sure hes already been to court and done with whatever the court decided.

So much for trying to help.