I went to traffic court yesterday and was amazed at how lenient the judge seemed to be for the first dozen people who plead guilty with serious offenses. Yet when I plead not guilty and presented my case honestly she threw me out. She said I could appeal it, but I'm a school teacher and can't afford the time to do this all again.
My question is: she seemed much more lenient with people who had good records like mine (previously) and were like wreckless driving or severely speeding (over 15) who had said they plead guilty yet pulled up their DMV record or took initiative to do the driving course. Not all of them did that, and with all of them she reduced the fine or took away the negative points altogether and forgave them.
Should I have plead guilty and lied to myself when I believed myself to be not guilty? This is a matter of conscience, and I'm not sure what I should have done. I could care less about the monetary fine, I just didn't want the four negative points. :(
2006-12-20 08:45:06 · 5 answers · asked by Adje J 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
If you thought you were not guilty, you right to plead your case thusly.
Trust me, it would be eating you up just as much or more if you had plead guilty to something you feel you didn't do.
2006-12-20 08:49:22 · answer #1 · answered by elysialaw 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you can appeal it, I would.
Otherwise I don't think you did anything improper. Sometimes however it is easier to just plead guilty.
In my last traffic ticket, I wanted to plead not-guilty as well but the judge was offering traffic school (even for repeat offenders) so I weighed that against the odds of winning my case and decided that Traffic School was best.
2006-12-20 09:00:51 · answer #2 · answered by JSpielfogel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you ARE innocent, plead not guilty. If you just show up for court, you have a chance of having your ticket thrown out because the complaining officer MUST show up. If he doesn't, the case is thrown out. If he does, he must PROVE that you were guilty. If you were clocked with radar, it's hard to argue the point.
If you are guilty--do a plea.
2006-12-20 08:51:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with Lori K...she didn't "throw you out"....she just moved the thing to a later date. The cop who gave you the ticket needs to show up or they will drop the charges.
She may have been b!tchy because she now has to add that to her docket. But you do need to go back and have them "prove" it for you to be guilty.
2006-12-20 08:55:20 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
you plead to blame and pay the fantastic. in case you combat it and loose, you nonetheless pay the fantastic. you may attempt to describe your case to the decide and ask if the summons must be decreased.
2016-10-15 08:05:42 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋