well my luck finally ran out! got bagged going 92 in a 65 at 2:30am saturday night in my 3rd gen in Rhome (which is on 287 between FW and Bridgeport). I asked a couple people and they said anything above 25 over is not eligible for defensive driving, so i need some advice as to how to handle this. i dont care about the fine, i just care about potential insurance surcharges. i'll post the entire situation incase any of that affects my chances.

the premise:
i spent all night working on the car at my girl's parent's house (cuz her brother was helping me out). I left there around 2am, and was testing the car out on the way home. there were almost zero cars on the road, and i was going fast for just a few seconds, and as soon as i saw another car coming in the other direction, i slowed back down, turned off the high beams, and went about my business. well as it turns out, that car was a cop and was running radar and zapped me in the distance, like half a mile away.

the pullover:
i look up at my mirror and notice a crown vic riding my *** with their highbeams in my face. a moment later, she throws the lights on. i wasnt speeding at the time and assumed she just wanted to get by cuz she was tailgating me and appeared to just be in a rush to get by. there was a suburban next to me so i decided that rather than hitting the brakes and having her slam into me, i sped up to move around him. instead of passing,she pulls me over. since i wasnt speeding at the time, and never saw her on the other side of the road beforehand, i assumed she was just concerned because my car only had temp tags, and she probably just wanted to check if it was stolen. wrong.

the dialogue:
i do the usual things to make the officer feel safe, hands on wheel, etc. she had the nerve to ask me if i know that i cut off the suburban driver. i explain that i had an emergency vehicle behind me with their lights on in an apparent rush to get by, so i wanted to quickly get out of the way so the officer could go about their business. i was nervous, and that was probably my first mistake by trying to defend myself. i was as polite as possible, answering her questions and i explain to her that i was not intentionally driving recklessly and was testing some repairs and I emphased that safety was on my mind since i waited for an empty road before testing it. she informs me that 'when you drive 92mph, you put EVERYONE's life in danger, including your own'. she makes me get out of the car and stand on the side of the road. she also asked for the ID of my passenger for no apparent reason. she comes back to me and hands me the ticket to sign.

the resolution?:
she obviously couldn't care less about the situation, and simply had the 'the law is the law' attitude. and to be perfectly honest with you, i think she might have been a militant lesbian on a power trip out of boredeom since no one drives through their BFE town.

what is my best course of action here? i know it wont actually solve anything, but since she accused me of endangering that suburban driver, i really feel like calling the Rhome PD and filing a complaint against her for endangering US because she created that tense situation. do i have to go to court to fight it, or can i just call one of those lawyers that you see on billboards everywhere?

 

If it's your first one I'd just throw it in the trash, they'll understand it being your first one and all.

 

Rhome has cops? wow ive been through there a million times on 287 and never seen a cop, can u get if deferred?

 

go to court and try to fight it, hopefully the cop just won't show up

 

Call one of the local lawyers. Let them handle it, and keep it off your driving record.

 

i'm not sure, i'm hoping you guys can tell me! i havent yet called the number on the ticket yet, i want a good battle plan before i act... especially since i'm not accustomed to TX ticket laws/rules/procedures. i was told by friends that since i was going 27 over, that makes things worse.

 

i got a ticket for 26 over
sent it to a lawyer, got it knocked down to deferred, and paid something like 240ish in "fees"
not on record.

 

i got a ticket for 43 over
snet it to a lawyer, got it knocked down to deferred, and paid something like 240ish in "fees"
not on record

lol.

 

Call the law offices of Randall Scott in Dallas and see if he has someone that can handle it or recommend someone who can handle it for you.

 

i called them, and it's like $100 to take care of an 'out of county' case.

i'll keep them in mind, but i'm gonna search for a wise county firm as well.

 

bummer me to I got to court on 8-22-06 for 92 in a 65. Lucky me i wasnt in the z28 I was in the fast car. My 3.8 4 dr olds, I didnt even know I was going 92 my spedo stops at 85. But I imagine thats not going to be a good enough excuse.

 

Cool man, I know they would do a great job, but I was hoping they might have a recommendation for you on the county you needed.

They recommended the guy I have here in Houston now, and hes as good as they were. Sorry that didn't work out better but good luck.

 

frame it! i remember my first ticket...runnin a stop sign.....memories!

 

get it deferred man

or get some KY Jelly and get ready to take it up the *** in fines if you decide to pay for it.

 

My worst was 59 over (I was actually going 80 over but the cop was cool since I actually stopped). The local judge, jp or whatever would have killed me with a flagrant speeding or wreckless endangerment charge so my lawyer appealed it up to the county court and I ended up with 6 months probation and a hefty fine. I think the court cost was $90 plus $240 for the fine or something, it's been a few years. My lawyer cost me $50 I believe as well. So it cost me nearly $400 to win a stupid street race

Your best bet is to contact the county clerk and ask for deferred adjudication. Most towns only care about the fine and make it as easy as possible to take care of it without having to see a judge. Some are a PITA and make you see the judge in person to ask for it though.

 

yeah, i'd see if you can do differed first off. If they wont let you, without going to court, i'd get a lawyer just to make sure it wont go on your record. I had one for 53 over (93 in a 40), and got it knocked down to differed. Paid $250 and couldnt get a ticket for 60 days, but no big deal.

 

that sounds like the best idea to me. i will call the court on monday and see if they'll defer it. and if they dont, i'll try to find a wise county traffic lawyer.

 

For 25 - 30 over you can get deferred but you have to ask the judge. That's been my experience anyway. Being your first ticket they'll probably let you do deferred for it, anything under 25 and you can do defensive driving or deferred to keep it off your record. A traffic lawyer would be a good idea since you have to get the judge to "let" you do deferred adjudication to take care of it.

William

 

I got a ticket doing 110 in a 60.... no big deal... get a local lawyer to go to court for you.... pay 50-65 in attorney fees.... then pay to keep it off your record... tell em you are getting a CDL to be a truck driver.

 

look up orson paxton he's great