Iowadiver
Registered
Some of you may remember my post a month or so ago about the third day with my 08' and I got clocked going 127 in a 55.... officer was nice enough to write the ticket for 85mph, but I still had to go to court to it.
So, I go to court this week anticipating a $300+ ticket cost plus court costs and several years of crappy insurance rates. Long story short, I left the court room after three hours of waiting, only having to pay $212 in court costs, charges dropped, no points on the license, and all I had to say to the judge's "you are charged with unlawful speed, how do you plead?"... I said "no contest". And that was it.
What did I learn this day? The first 8-10 people of the 60 people in the courtroom waiting to have their charges heard, were lawyers representing people who were not present for speeding tickets and other violations. Almost all the lawyers got up, plead "no contest", the judge had them pay court costs, and dropped the ticket. I didn't catch on to this right away. Then we sat through two hours of people who had previously pled "not guilty" and tried to win thier case outright. The only people that got off were the two who were lucky enough for the officer that wrote them their tickets not to show. The others had really crappy arguements and lost, being found guilty of charges and having to not only pay court costs, but also the tickets. FYI: THE COPS IN JACKSONVILLE HAVE THEIR SH#T TOGETHER....ALL DOCUMENTATION ON RADAR DEVICES, LOGS, ETC.... SO DON'T THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET OFF ON A TECHNICALITY.
Then it was the turn of the people such as me who were planning on just admitting the guilt and get it over with.... this is the important stuff. The judge said that as long as you were not speeding in a school zone, putting children in danger, or going more than 30mph over the posted speed, he would pretty much let you off with out any judicial action, points on your license or cost for the actual ticket... you would just pay court costs. 95% of the people who went up and plead "no contest" got exactly that... even me... and I was exactly 30mph over the speed limit.
So....lesson learned...if you get a ticket, just show up at the court date, plead no contest, and regardless of your speed, you will probably get off and just have to pay court costs.... $212 was much better than the $300 ticket and years of increased insurance rates.
Just thought I'd share.
So, I go to court this week anticipating a $300+ ticket cost plus court costs and several years of crappy insurance rates. Long story short, I left the court room after three hours of waiting, only having to pay $212 in court costs, charges dropped, no points on the license, and all I had to say to the judge's "you are charged with unlawful speed, how do you plead?"... I said "no contest". And that was it.
What did I learn this day? The first 8-10 people of the 60 people in the courtroom waiting to have their charges heard, were lawyers representing people who were not present for speeding tickets and other violations. Almost all the lawyers got up, plead "no contest", the judge had them pay court costs, and dropped the ticket. I didn't catch on to this right away. Then we sat through two hours of people who had previously pled "not guilty" and tried to win thier case outright. The only people that got off were the two who were lucky enough for the officer that wrote them their tickets not to show. The others had really crappy arguements and lost, being found guilty of charges and having to not only pay court costs, but also the tickets. FYI: THE COPS IN JACKSONVILLE HAVE THEIR SH#T TOGETHER....ALL DOCUMENTATION ON RADAR DEVICES, LOGS, ETC.... SO DON'T THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET OFF ON A TECHNICALITY.
Then it was the turn of the people such as me who were planning on just admitting the guilt and get it over with.... this is the important stuff. The judge said that as long as you were not speeding in a school zone, putting children in danger, or going more than 30mph over the posted speed, he would pretty much let you off with out any judicial action, points on your license or cost for the actual ticket... you would just pay court costs. 95% of the people who went up and plead "no contest" got exactly that... even me... and I was exactly 30mph over the speed limit.
So....lesson learned...if you get a ticket, just show up at the court date, plead no contest, and regardless of your speed, you will probably get off and just have to pay court costs.... $212 was much better than the $300 ticket and years of increased insurance rates.
Just thought I'd share.