Think I’ll get away with this in court?

Kenny B · 01-25-2006, 03:37 PM

I’m going to court later this week to fight what has become a $77 ticket for parking too close to a cross walk.

I have pictures to prove there is no sign indicating the cross walk and the paint on the street is almost completely worn away. With just a bit of snow on the ground you can’t tell there’s a cross walk at all.

Think I’ll win? Oh the only catch is I photoshoped the sign and most of the cross walk away, I figure it’s worth a shot!

Evil Chris · 01-25-2006, 03:38 PM

hahaha.... you're evil Kenny.
But what the hell, it's only a $77 ticket. You'll have fun trying.

Kenny B · 01-25-2006, 03:52 PM

It's worth it to see if I get away with it. I'll let you know Friday evening!

MorganGrayson · 01-25-2006, 03:58 PM

Keep us up to date on this one. It sounds more "cool" than a law abiding citizen should find it.

Is this one of those tickets where you get off if the officer who gave it to you doesn't show up?

Kenny B · 01-25-2006, 04:01 PM

That's the beauty of it, for parking infractions it's just the judge and prosecutor, the guy who gave the ticket doesn't show up. It's not worth their time for that amount.

MorganGrayson · 01-25-2006, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kenny B
That's the beauty of it, for parking infractions it's just the judge and prosecutor, the guy who gave the ticket doesn't show up. It's not worth their time for that amount.

So...two guys who have no idea what the crosswalk looks like are going to throw down with a guy armed with pics???

Kenny, you could sell tickets to this puppy!!!

montrealpornking · 01-25-2006, 04:50 PM

when you find out, let me know the end result
i got a similar ticket for not doing something
like to know how yours ends up

DonMike · 01-25-2006, 09:03 PM

I fought a parking ticket once. They said I was parked in front of a handicapped spot, not a parking space but one of those sections of the curb that bends down so people with wheelchairs can get acroos the street. The problem was that this was in the middle of a street, so there was not even a place to cross, and the sidewalk was broken, not build for wheelchairs. I was told to take enough photos so that it was apparent the street had no handicap sidewalk thingy, so I did just that. I marched into the courthouse with 30 pictures, showing every inch of that street all the way up to the signpost. And I still lost. I was so pissed. It was not even worth the amount of time I had taken and the money spend on photo processing (yes, before digital cameras, darlings).

I say just pay it and be done with it.

Kenny B · 01-26-2006, 12:09 AM

Damn Mike that's not what I wanted to hear! I think a lot depends on the judge you get

Rochard · 01-26-2006, 12:35 AM

$77 is not worth me spending my time in court. However.......

If your going into court, dress for it. Leave your cell phone, drinks, food, and chewing gum behind. Dress nice - Don't wear jeans and a t-shirt. And be repectful to the judge.

About a year ago I got a huge ticket - Speeding over 100mph; It's a felony charge here in Arizona. People who got the same exact ticket I got walked out with thousands in fines. One women was screaming at the judge trying to come up with excuses. I walked up there, properly dressed, with nothing more than my paperwork, called the judge by the proper term. I plead guilty and that was that. Instead of the thousand dollar fine I could have recieved, I got the ticket reduced and a fine of $175.

Dress nicely.

Kenny B · 01-26-2006, 01:13 AM

Everyone says $77 isn't worth the 30 min in court, to me it is since I'll be in area anyways.

I plan to dress for it, and talk to the judge with respect. I'm fully aware you get more in life with honey then vinegar. It has always amazed me when people get so defensive they start freaking out, I dated someone like that once it wasn't pretty lol.

Easton · 01-26-2006, 03:31 AM

hahahaha too funny!

war_ner · 01-26-2006, 06:07 AM

Hahaha, goodluck I hope you'll get six weks behind bars for that..

NO BAIL

MorganGrayson · 01-26-2006, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rochard
$77 is not worth me spending my time in court. However.......

If your going into court, dress for it. Leave your cell phone, drinks, food, and chewing gum behind. Dress nice - Don't wear jeans and a t-shirt. And be repectful to the judge.

About a year ago I got a huge ticket - Speeding over 100mph; It's a felony charge here in Arizona. People who got the same exact ticket I got walked out with thousands in fines. One women was screaming at the judge trying to come up with excuses. I walked up there, properly dressed, with nothing more than my paperwork, called the judge by the proper term. I plead guilty and that was that. Instead of the thousand dollar fine I could have recieved, I got the ticket reduced and a fine of $175.

Dress nicely.

Attitude *is* everything in these matters. One of my daughters was pulled over for speeding (about 100, I believe she said - I'm not sure, I got dizzy when she told me) and to make it worse, it was in a "cone zone," albeit when the workmen weren't there. (Speeding in a "cone zone" in California carries the death penalty, I believe.) However, she was polite and respectful to the cop, immediately admitted it was her fault and apologized. The cop gave her a ticket BUT he fudged it a bit and put her down as going much slower than she actually was and left out the "cone zone" part entirely. Thusly, she got a much lower fine *or* attending traffic school as an option. She wouldn't have gotten any of the breaks if she'd copped a 'tude with said officer.

Sometimes, the best thing to do is just be polite and take your lumps. They end up being much smaller lumps than you'd get if you toss a fit in a courtroom. The judge is "your Honor," not "listen, you fucker!" It's amazing how many people don't know that. Sitting in a courtroom can be a most informative way to spend the day.

Rochard · 01-26-2006, 12:06 PM

Oh, the woman I was referring to in my post slayed me in court. She got the same thing I did, speeding in excess of 100mph. She was hispanic, started crying, whining, and blurted out rather loudly "I DON'T KNOW WHY THE POLICE OFFICER PULLED ME OVER WHERE HE DID, IT WAS NEARLY FIVE MILES FROM WHERE I WAS SPEEDING".

Idiot. Chances are it took him five miles to catch up to you, not to mentino while you were pleading and begging and crying you just confessed to speeding anyhow.

I don't remember what she got but I do recall I was a bit stunned by the judge.

Yeah, it pays to be nice in court.

TheLegacy · 01-26-2006, 12:09 PM

your best hope is that the officer doesnt show up. If you dont have a lawyer then you may be screwed. Is there a way to find if anyone else has been ticketed and found innocent for that same reason? may be worth checking out.

A picture maybe a thousand words, but a BJ makes one speechless

Stephane76 · 01-26-2006, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kenny B
I’m going to court later this week to fight what has become a $77 ticket for parking too close to a cross walk.

I have pictures to prove there is no sign indicating the cross walk and the paint on the street is almost completely worn away. With just a bit of snow on the ground you can’t tell there’s a cross walk at all.

Think I’ll win? Oh the only catch is I photoshoped the sign and most of the cross walk away, I figure it’s worth a shot!

now why would you take such a risk for so Little money

i know a guy that did the exact same thing
only thing he got busted, was convicted, and did 6 months in jail

just Kidding man .. Good Luck

Kenny B · 01-26-2006, 12:16 PM

This is a parking infraction, there was no cop and no one will show up to court but me. The only time an officer shows up is for a moving violation... I've been through this many times before lol. I figure the pictures I have will be enough, I hope so at least.

MorganGrayson · 01-26-2006, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kenny B
This is a parking infraction, there was no cop and no one will show up to court but me. The only time an officer shows up is for a moving violation... I've been through this many times before lol. I figure the pictures I have will be enough, I hope so at least.

"Many times before"?????

OK, Kenny...you need this:

Learn to park that frigging thing!

DonMike · 01-26-2006, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kenny B
Damn Mike that's not what I wanted to hear! I think a lot depends on the judge you get

Well, it was only one incident. I do my best not to speed because they can see me coming from miles away. It's like I have a homing beakon implanted under my skin. Plus, I think these guys were just out for a buck. I was amazed that I got a ticket for something I didn't even do and then had to pay for it even though I had proof. Realy gives me faith in our system, I'll tell ya.

Years ago I got caught doing a rolling stop past a stop sign. I thought I stopped but I could have well done the rolling stop. But the kicker was that the officer wrote me up for two violations, one for not wearing glasses! I was wearing contacts. So when she handed me the ticket, I politely told her I was wearing contacts and she said "well, just contest it when you come into court and I'll drop it". Now, I would have much rather sent in a check and paid the fine, but I was not going to pay for the second one. So I had to go into court and miss several hours of work. I was so pissed off. Everyone said "oh, the officer will never show up and you won't have to pay". Well, she showed up. She did drop the second violation, but it was my word against hers about the rolling stop so I still had to pay that one. To add insult to injury, at the end of the session the judge says to the cop.. "officer Misty, could... er... sorry, officer Johnson". I was like... "Officer MISTY???, I got pulled over by officer MISTY?"

Not that someone named Misty couldn't be an officer, but the name does not exactly strike fear in the hearts of evildoers everywhere, ya know?

MorganGrayson · 01-26-2006, 02:24 PM

Don...the judge addressing the officer by her first name doesn't exactly fill me with faith in the legal system, either.

I was always grateful for my car at stop signs. I drove a clutch, a '79 VW Rabbit Diesel no less, and I had to come to a complete stop or I couldn't put the thing in first without a hideous grinding noise. Speeding in it was a tad unlikely, too.

I remember the days of taxiing kids around...I used to have to stack them in the backseat...then offload a bunch whenever I had to go up a hill to take one particular kid home because the car wouldn't go up the hill with that big a load. I'd pick the rest up on the way back down.

(That probably broke a bunch of laws.)

My husband now drives that car back and forth to work. It cut his fuel costs in *half* by driving it. It may be old, but it gets outrageous mileage and just keeps on chugging along.

Panky · 01-26-2006, 06:15 PM

LOL! You are too much.

What would happen if this little stunt doesn't work? How good are your photoshop skills?

war_ner · 01-27-2006, 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Panky
LOL! You are too much.

What would happen if this little stunt doesn't work? How good are your photoshop skills?

Sometimes, they do miracles.

Panky · 01-27-2006, 11:26 AM

I've had more than a few brushes with cops already. I only had to hire a lawyer once when I was 17 for a traffic accident that was not my fault. The guy in the other car was 43, was speeding, and didn't pay attention to a yield sign. The cop just took one look at me and wrote me up and left the other guy go. I was majorly pissed, but kept cool. I went home and talked to my dad. We went out and took a look at the accident scene and took all kinds of pictures and then my dad said, "I'm calling a lawyer tomorrow".

Two days later, I'm in the lawyers office showing him the paperwork, the photo's, and explaining to him what happened. He took one look at me and said, "I'll tell you why you were found at fault. The cop is 40. The other driver is 43. Your 17 and a female. You didn't stand a chance at the scene. However, I can make things right for you."

About a month passed and I found myself in the courtroom. I was really nervous, but my lawyer was cool, calm, and collected. After the first few questions my lawyer asked the cop, my nerves majorly settled and I rather enjoyed watching this lawyer go in for the kill. He made the cop look like a total incompetent jerk that he was and got the cop to admit that I was found at fault because I was a kid and a girl. Then the best part was when the judge cleared me of all wrong doing and then proceeded to rip the cop a new ass.

For all the other wreckless, stupid stuff I did throughout my teen years and to my mid 20's, 9 times out of 10, it was my fault. I will say though, being polite, charming, and a girl, has it's advantages when dealing with an authority figure. Especially cops.

MorganGrayson · 01-27-2006, 11:59 AM

Panky...you left out one crucial word that also describes you.

"Intelligent."

*That's* the adjective that can save one's hind end on many an occasion!

Kenny B · 01-27-2006, 07:39 PM

And the verdict is… Thanks to the photos I was able to raise a reasonable doubt that the cross walk was not visible at the time of the offence and the judge acquitted me.

DonMike · 01-27-2006, 07:47 PM

Yay!!! Congratulations!

MorganGrayson · 01-27-2006, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kenny B
And the verdict is… Thanks to the photos I was able to raise a reasonable doubt that the cross walk was not visible at the time of the offence and the judge acquitted me.

Congratulations, Kenny!

I guess I'll send the cake with the file baked in it to someone else.

Vid Vicious · 01-28-2006, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kenny B
And the verdict is… Thanks to the photos I was able to raise a reasonable doubt that the cross walk was not visible at the time of the offence and the judge acquitted me.

Sweet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Back when I was in my 20s I found myself in court in monthly .. Won a few and lost a few .. but I had a pretty good track record ...

My best court win was in Toronto .. I got pulled over for speeding, seatbelt, not having proper papers and refusing to co-operate .. I had approx 700 $ in tickets from this one asshole cop ... Fighting a ticket is a little different in Toronto, you have an option of night or day court, in french or english .. I asked for day and for the Judge to be french speaking ... Well this turned off the cop and he nevered showed !!! I got accuited ! ... This usually worked 1:4 times ... So if your in toronto and speak french, always ask for court during the day and in french

Kenny B · 01-30-2006, 12:34 PM

A few years back I was renting a loft over a restaurant, the restaurant was bought over and turned into a night club. I wasn’t paying retarded rent to have crazy bass until 3am, after a meeting with the club owners we agreed they would compensate me $500/month for the remainder of my lease to make up for the noise. It was easier for them to do that then to insulate the ceiling. They gave me the run around every month until finally my lease was up and they owed me over $2000.

I took the owners to small claims court. Btw one of the owners was a lawyer. I pleaded my case that we had a verbal agreement and I never got paid. The piece of shit lawyer tells the judge I’m a pornographer who was living in a commercial space, trying to extort money from him and we never had that deal. The judge then looks at me and asks if I have a response… I was angry as hell but I stayed calm and said to the judge he has 2 stories that are complete opposite and he would have to decide who is telling the truth, I then pulled out a tape recorder and played back a taped conversation where the bar owner told me he was not going to pay me the money he owed me, to try and sue him and his partner but I’ll lose in court.

The guy freaked out and said it was illegal that I taped our conversations. The judge told him he’ll decide what is and what isn’t legal and that he would allow the tape. Long story short I won the amount plus interest:-) That was a great day!