SSrussman

iTrader: (2)

Just like the title says I got a ticket for supposedly running a red light as I was coming off of the 417 exit heading south and took a right hand turn onto university using the very right hand lane which just has a yield sign and continuation of the road right onto university and got pulled over by a traffic sting just up at the next intersection. I was as nice as I could be cause I really didn't know what I had done wrong besides turn onto university after I yielded, and the cop was a jerk for no apparent reason.It's a bogus ticket if anyone has ever seen the area and I do plan on fighting it and take pictures of where I was and where the cops vantage point was cause I didn't do anything wrong just took the right like I and every other person does at that spot.

I have never fought a ticket before cause I have never had one and I just am wondering what to expect once I take it to court. I do have a clean record and am preparing myself diligently as I can't afford a $211 ticket for nothing.

Thanks for any and all help

billyb

iTrader: (15)

i'd watch speeders fight back first to get some good ideas,

SSrussman

iTrader: (2)

not very funny though. I really just want to have a idea of what the court will be like cause I have never been in a courtroom and/or traffic hearing of any kind before. And how the judges normally handle things of this nature.

SSJIMMY

iTrader: (8)

good luck Russ maybe you will get lucky like Victoria did she went a couple years ago and the judge was so busy he just dismissed her ticket.

SSrussman

iTrader: (2)

Yeah thanks man, I plan on taking pictures of where I was where I turned and show that there is no traffic light there to turn right. I have talked to a few people and they are pretty sure I'll win with the pictures and explanation of what really happened.

maverickmk

iTrader: (10)

I think if your prepared you should be OK - I saw a show where they followed people that got tickets and showed how they went to court to fight them, I can't remember the name of the show or what channel, so basically I'm of no help - you'll be fine, just be sure you're prepared

GTFORMULA

iTrader: (94)

I have gone to traffic court about 3 times for tickets that I got and about 10 times when I was in Police Academy. I have only seen "one" person get off not guilty without a lawyer. Dont go in there by yourself. One time and this is a long story but stay with me.

Went to court for myself. Watched a guy go to the judge and say that he wasnt speeding and the light was not flashing through a school zone. Cop says he was and the light was flashing. Guilty. A couple more go up one after the other same cop, same place, same time all Guilty. A few more go up same thing, same story lights not flashing. About 20 people had the same story and one cop with his. Everyone guilty. After about the 19th person the judge asked the cop if he was sure the lights where flashing and the cops said yeah. Guilty next.

F ing cops and the F ing judges, I swear thats why I quit the academy cause I couldnt stand the ***** that I would be working with.

Racer383

Only challenged one in my life and the officer did not show. Everything got tossed. Had he shown, I am sure the results would have changed.

hyperzone

I'm no lawyer and I've had minimal experience in the courtroom. Your clean record should help alot, hopefully they see that your not some clown-repeat offender. I would think you can request the cops info from that day maybe? I would check on what procedures there are, if any on bringing in your own evidence (photos - video). Would be pretty shitty to show up feeling good and then getting a smirk and told they are inadmissible or something for whatever reason. Just my 2cents.

wan2run

iTrader: (2)

Do you have an e-pass? If so you could get the logs from your transponder from the e-pass center. This will confirm where you were and what time you passed through the tolls.

Definitely mention the fact that you've never gotten a ticket before.

RsSean

iTrader: (27)

Russ not to scare you or nothing, but I went down an filed a appeal on my ticket. When you wave your right to pay the ticket, they hand you a peice of paper saying that if you are found guilty you can be charged up to $500 dollars extra, plus on top of that court costs. So your $2xx dollar ticket may end up being a lot more then you think if you lose.

A. your clean record will help you a lot. B. Research what yeild means, make sure there is not a a sign that says must stop on red there. Seen some funny ones before. Yeild on green and stop on red. C. Take video evidence with you of what you did, where the officer observed you from, i.e distance, objects his/her way of seeing you. weather conditions. After you compliled all this stuff put it on a tri folding board adnd take it to court.

In Pensacola you sit in a waiting pool int he court room. When your name is called you walk up to the podem and do the whole swearing in thing. Then the officer will present his/her case. Telling you how they ticketed you. Then it is your turn. You can cross examine the officer, most of teh time you can find inconsistancies in thier stories. Meaning from what they told you when they handed you the ticket, to them telling the judge. Then after you are done cross examining the officer. Present to the judge your tri fold board in great detail not leaving anything out.

Few things that I learned. NEVER put your hands in your pockets while you are "on the stand". Always Yes sir, No sir or the other way around or directed to the judge Yes your honor No your honor. Be as polite as you can to everyone. Dress up button down shirt slacks and a tie. Don't go looking like a slob. Make sure there is NO i don't knows or I can't recall statements in your story.

That should help you out a lot. If you don't feel comfortable in fighting your case you can always get a traffic attorney. I don't know the going rate for them never used one. I always just use my dad. LOL he has had his fair share of tickets, plus he was a cop once. If there is any other questions feel free to ask me or PM me. I can always relay this to my dad if you need more help
-Sean-

SSrussman

iTrader: (2)

Thanks guys for all the support and help, it's just that in this economy and the way things are sooo tight there is no one I can even think to try to pay for this. I lost a $35k a year job that I worked a max of three days and I can only go to school part time now just to get by at the shitty place I'm at now. I just cant get a f*cking break anywhere in between and this is just another set back that I have to take care of even possibly lose out on work for this crap and I'm not happy about it. /End Rant.

Thanks again though.

DnBdippiNdirtyWS9

Just tell Kevin he should pay for it since it was his car...

SSrussman

iTrader: (2)

Well thanks again for all the help and info. I just dont understand why cops are such jerks for no reason at all...probably cause they were always the kids being picked on in school and chose that career so they could get back at people they don't perceive to like.

Sleeping00Z28

iTrader: (2)

When did they pull you over? right after you got onto University? I drive that way everyday when I goto UCF. As long as they pulled you over BEFORE the next red light on university, they can only get you for failure to yield at worst, or speeding depending on your speed at the time.

blackphantom

iTrader: (5)

I'll never understand why cops are so damn mean either. But you should do good I have fought 3 tickets and only lost one. But the one I did lose they gave me like 6 months to pay it infact i just payed it and i recieved the ticket in oct. they say all this stuff so people wont fight it your tix wont go up worst thing that happens is you get an extra 3 months to pay it. Just dont do what I did when i lost and it was becuase he presented info idk about i was pissed and started yelling at the officer then i walked out slaming the door in his face i was pissed and he knew it.

black00ssFL

iTrader: (24)

I'm confused....are you saying the cop only has until the next redlight to pull someone over for running a redlight?

SSrussman

iTrader: (2)

It was at the yield sign making a right onto university as soon as you go past the toll booth. I yielded at the sign and then proceeded to make the turn. There is a whole separate median and everything from the stop lights that are for the traffic lanes that go left onto university (back under 417) but not a single traffic light in front of the yield sign when you turn right onto university using the very right hand lane to turn. Either way the cop didn't want to hear anything I had to say and that made it that much more frustrating cause I really didn't know what I had done when he pulled me over and asked me that typical do you know why I pulled you over garbage.


I just hope that the judge sees it the way that I do and I did talk to a buddy of mine that works for a different county in law enforcement and he said that he is 99% sure I'll win and get the case thrown out. It was also the last day of the month on this past saturday and I do imagine that they were trying to get a decent amount of money for all the budget cuts and crap that orange county has gone through. It was amazing seeing 7 bike cops all in a row just waiting to get their next victim. Probably accounted for a couple hundred tickets just in that area alone on saturday.

stealth71

iTrader: (15)

There is good view of that area on google maps. I drive thru there a lot and don't think you did anything wrong.

Did they pull you over before or after Dean?

SSrussman

iTrader: (2)

I'm not too familiar with the area but because of traffic he didn't get to me until I think the third traffic light down on the and he made me turn off of university and onto a seperate street and then into a community.