Stop sign traffic ticket in California

[bolbim33]

I have the time to go to court and fight this ticket and hope that the police officer does not show up. However, if the officer shows up, i will certainly lose the case....which is fine, but if i choose to fight this and i lose, do i also give up my opportunity to attend traffic school as well?

If i didn't have the option to attend traffic school, i would most certainly go and fight this since i have nothing to lose.

However, in my current situation, i might lose out on the opportunity to attend traffice school. Is this true? Can someone confirm?

Basically, if i take this to court and i lose, can i still take traffic school??

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

There should be a number on the ticket, call and ask

 

[Chryso]

If you go to court and lose you may also have to pay an additional court cost.

 

[FoBoT]

you are guilty, pay the fine and stop at stop signs before you run over a grandma

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
you are guilty, pay the fine and stop at stop signs before you run over a grandma

Are you a cop? How come in every single thread you are in there telling the OP and whoever else brings up any ounce of criticism that they are guilty? God damn, I hope you never get wrongfully accused of anything... "I sure as hell didn't shoot that guy, but they're saying I did so I guess I'm guilty."

 

[rpanic]

If you can go to traffic school it does not matter if you fight it or not, you can go if you haven?t done the traffic school thing in the dmv?s allotted time period. Had the same situation many times when I was younger never had a problem going just tell the judge after you lose.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21

Originally posted by: FoBoT
you are guilty, pay the fine and stop at stop signs before you run over a grandma

Are you a cop? How come in every single thread you are in there telling the OP and whoever else brings up any ounce of criticism that they are guilty? God damn, I hope you never get wrongfully accused of anything... "I sure as hell didn't shoot that guy, but they're saying I did so I guess I'm guilty."

http://www.pics.bbzzdd.com/bet...emercer/seriouscat.jpg

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21

Originally posted by: FoBoT
you are guilty, pay the fine and stop at stop signs before you run over a grandma

Are you a cop? How come in every single thread you are in there telling the OP and whoever else brings up any ounce of criticism that they are guilty? God damn, I hope you never get wrongfully accused of anything... "I sure as hell didn't shoot that guy, but they're saying I did so I guess I'm guilty."

actually i hope he does get wrongfully accused of something. it might get him to stop posting.


BOLBIM33, do you remember who your cop was? name/face? if you do, go to court. when you go to court, they give you a piece of paper with some writing on it that basically says "check here if you're pleading guilty", "check here for traffic school" or "check here if you're pleading innocent".

take the paper and don't declare guilty/innocent/traffic school. go inside the court room and see if your citing officer is there. if he isn't, check innocent. if he is, check traffic school but do it AT THE LATEST TIME POSSIBLE. the cop may be coming from a shift or something so he may get there RIGHT BEFORE the time he needs to be. or you can wait til the judge/bailiff says those wishing to take traffic school submit your papers now. if the cop hasn't shown up by then, check innocent. if he has shown up, check traffic school.

if the cop is there and you plead innocent and end up losing, you lose the right for traffic school but the judge MAY still allow you to take it. it's up to the judge's decision.

 

[Zolty]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21

Originally posted by: FoBoT
you are guilty, pay the fine and stop at stop signs before you run over a grandma

Are you a cop? How come in every single thread you are in there telling the OP and whoever else brings up any ounce of criticism that they are guilty? God damn, I hope you never get wrongfully accused of anything... "I sure as hell didn't shoot that guy, but they're saying I did so I guess I'm guilty."

The OP in this case doesn't sound to innocent. It sounds like he needs to put more stop in his roll.

OP you shouldn't base your plea of weather or not the cop will be there, while it's your right and it is legal, it seems like a moral abuse of our system.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
you are guilty, pay the fine and stop at stop signs before you run over a grandma

Boy does that get old.

 

[bolbim33]

Thanks for your advice, alimoalem. That sounds like a plan!

 

[SKORPI0]

Darn, how hard is this to do? STOP at a STOP sign. :roll:

 

[SinfulWeeper]

Fight it, taxes you pay will remain the same regardless if you fight it or not. You might as well put our tax dollars to good use instead of having more money in the states legislature to come up with more stupid laws.

 

[spidey07]

You can normally only go to traffic school if you plead guilty.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: alimoalem

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21

Originally posted by: FoBoT
you are guilty, pay the fine and stop at stop signs before you run over a grandma

Are you a cop? How come in every single thread you are in there telling the OP and whoever else brings up any ounce of criticism that they are guilty? God damn, I hope you never get wrongfully accused of anything... "I sure as hell didn't shoot that guy, but they're saying I did so I guess I'm guilty."

actually i hope he does get wrongfully accused of something. it might get him to stop posting.


BOLBIM33, do you remember who your cop was? name/face? if you do, go to court. when you go to court, they give you a piece of paper with some writing on it that basically says "check here if you're pleading guilty", "check here for traffic school" or "check here if you're pleading innocent".

take the paper and don't declare guilty/innocent/traffic school. go inside the court room and see if your citing officer is there. if he isn't, check innocent. if he is, check traffic school but do it AT THE LATEST TIME POSSIBLE. the cop may be coming from a shift or something so he may get there RIGHT BEFORE the time he needs to be. or you can wait til the judge/bailiff says those wishing to take traffic school submit your papers now. if the cop hasn't shown up by then, check innocent. if he has shown up, check traffic school.

if the cop is there and you plead innocent and end up losing, you lose the right for traffic school but the judge MAY still allow you to take it. it's up to the judge's decision.

Not sure about where the OP is, but the way it works here is if you plead:

Guilty: you pay ticket and/or do community service, pay court costs.

No Contest: pay court costs and do defensive driving or deferred adjudication (probation)

Not Guilty: they set a court date for you.

I am almost 100% sure they don't have their cops showing up to every hearing because 90% of the people plead no contest and the cop never needs to show.

If you think that your hearing is right then and there if you plead not guilty, then that will work. But you are thinking wrong.

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: thepd7

Not sure about where the OP is, but the way it works here is if you plead:

Guilty: you pay ticket and/or do community service, pay court costs.

No Contest: pay court costs and do defensive driving or deferred adjudication (probation)

Not Guilty: they set a court date for you.

I am almost 100% sure they don't have their cops showing up to every hearing because 90% of the people plead no contest and the cop never needs to show.

If you think that your hearing is right then and there if you plead not guilty, then that will work. But you are thinking wrong.

in california, at least in northern california, you can choose to send a check in the mail with your plea. at that point the OP would mark innocent. trial date comes in the mail, you show up to court, and again, you state your plea. you can change your plea from innocent to guilty, innocent to no contest (traffic school), or stick with your plea. at least that's how i remember it. what i wrote in my previous post is what i would do after sending in the check and receiving my trial date.

 

[Parasitic]

Fight the ticket, but do it by mail (trial by written declaration). The majority of the time the cop shows up because he gets paid overtime and appears on an off-duty shift, so when he gets done he can go and hang out at the local donut shop with pay. You're just going to waste your time and essentially reward the cop for nothing.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: bolbim33
I have the time to go to court and fight this ticket and hope that the police officer does not show up. However, if the officer shows up, i will certainly lose the case....which is fine, but if i choose to fight this and i lose, do i also give up my opportunity to attend traffic school as well?

If i didn't have the option to attend traffic school, i would most certainly go and fight this since i have nothing to lose.

However, in my current situation, i might lose out on the opportunity to attend traffice school. Is this true? Can someone confirm?

Basically, if i take this to court and i lose, can i still take traffic school??

I would impose the death penalty.

 

[911paramedic]

Police usually get overtime pay for court, so expect to see him/her there.

The judge can give you whatever they want, if you are lucky you will keep the traffic school option. Save everybody some time and money, go to traffic school.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: alimoalem

Originally posted by: thepd7

Not sure about where the OP is, but the way it works here is if you plead:

Guilty: you pay ticket and/or do community service, pay court costs.

No Contest: pay court costs and do defensive driving or deferred adjudication (probation)

Not Guilty: they set a court date for you.

I am almost 100% sure they don't have their cops showing up to every hearing because 90% of the people plead no contest and the cop never needs to show.

If you think that your hearing is right then and there if you plead not guilty, then that will work. But you are thinking wrong.

in california, at least in northern california, you can choose to send a check in the mail with your plea. at that point the OP would mark innocent. trial date comes in the mail, you show up to court, and again, you state your plea. you can change your plea from innocent to guilty, innocent to no contest (traffic school), or stick with your plea. at least that's how i remember it. what i wrote in my previous post is what i would do after sending in the check and receiving my trial date.

gotcha. well then good luck to the OP!