More details plz.
What did the officer say and why did the judge take your word/witnesses' over the officer?
Officers don't show in WA traffic court unless subpoenad to be questioned.
I gave my statement, basically: "I'm very safe, after the military, security, and working in an ER and as a first responder I know too well the importance of safety so I don't make errors like that. I have no history of traffic infractions. The citing officer was stopped at the turn signal behind two cars, looking across 3 lanes of moving cross traffic, up into the cab of a truck across the driver to see me...all at sundown with the shadows playing the way they do at the lake. Moreover he never saw me put my seatbelt on...so he could see the strap wasn't there through all that, but couldn't see me move around the cab to put it on before he got up to my window. That seems unlikely. I don't believe it was malicious, just an honest mistake."
Then my witness said basically the same thing, and that we both had our seatbelts on the entire time and always do.
The judge said "I find you both to be very credible witnesses and I find the infraction not committed."
That was that.
As a matter of fact, 4 of the 5 people who were heard before me had theirs dismissed as well, two with far more questionable cases than mine. Either the judge was in a good mood or it's the week for holiday forgiveness.