Speeding Ticket Advice

CGLockRacer wrote: In reply to JohnRW1621: Sandusky And the one time I don't want snow, 6-8" is being predicted for Sunday night and I need to be there 8:30 a.m. - about 2 hrs away from where I'll be. Maybe no one will show up.

I presume that is Sandusky County court which is in the town of Fremont, Ohio (Taffic Court may be in Clyde, OH.)
I have two guys to choose from who both service that area.

1) Curtis Koch (pronounced Coe)
Hiltz, Wiedemann, Allton & Koch Co., L.P.A.
49 Benedict Ave., Suite C
Norwalk, OH 44857
Telephone (419) 668-8211
Facsimile (419) 668-2813
curtis@hwak.com
He is in Norwalk (Huron County) which is directly East of Sandusky County

2) Terrence Rudes
216 Adams St
Port Clinton, OH 43452
419-732-3000 trudes@duiohio.net
He is actually in Ottawa County which is directly north by one County but I know he too "plays" there often.

Get ahold of either quickly and they will get a "continuance."
From there, the expected outcome will be still pay the fine but reduced to a non-moving violation which therefore means your insurance will not go up.
For both, I personally have not had to attend court. They do on my behalf. Their services will cost you $175.
Curtis handled a ticket that I got from the Ohio State Troopers recently where I and a group of cars were pulled over after be "clocked" by an airplane. I handled the whole thing with him via email

PM's here are not working for me but shoot me a email and I will send you that correspondence.
jwelsh02 at yahoo.com

In reply to JohnRW1621:

Thanks for the info! I will be at the Woodville courthouse. Unfortunately, unless they work weekends, I'm SOL since court is Monday at 8:30 a.m.

Call Terrance. He is a DUI attorney. They take calls all around the clock.

Last time I got a ticket, the judge asked nothing else but how you plead. That was it. Plead not guilty, you go to county for court because waiting in the two hour line was not enough.

berkeley Berkeley, MO.

After that incident (and thankfully I haven't needed to), if I can't take care of it out of court, I will always have a lawyer handle it for me. It would have been cheaper in that circumstance, anyway.

just something to remember.. you can hire a lawyer and hammer out a deal with the persecutor to your hearts content.. and still wind up like a co-worker.

He was driving a rental car and got pulled for "102 in a 65" and swears up and down was not going anywhere near that fast. He had his wife and 5 y/o with him, so I tend to believe him. According to the story, he was doing about 75 or 80 and came over a hill and found themselves behind a cop.. so he slowed. The cop pulled into the fast lane on the highway as if to take the U-turn.. but instead pulled right back out and pulled him over.

He had a lawyer, spoke to the persecutor, and the Judge -still- decided to yank his license for 30 days

go to the trouble of showing up, be humble, no BS. the system is so full of people fighting DUI, outstanding warrants, people getting out of drunk tank from the night before (even better reason to shoot for a Monday morning). etc.. if your license is clean, they just want to clear the court house for the next group of 200. Cop gets his props, city reduces paperwork, etc.. Last three or 4 times I did that they waived me in a screening process before ever getting to a judge, just some clerk with authority to ask if your license is clean and have a nice day. One good the of an overloaded criminal society,

In reply to JohnRW1621:

Got your emails. Thank you!!!!

In reply to Apexcarver: 5-9 over sounds pretty cowed to me! Maryland is about as bad, as is most of the northeast.

However, in most of the country you can set your cruise at 11-13 over and leave it. Then use the accelerator to pass as needed. That's what I do in Virgina. From what I can tell as long as you don't use a fuzz-buster, they're happy there.

This could be handled a few ways. Generally, as others have said, judges appreciate respect and humility. Dress nicely. Slacks and a shirt should be sufficient. I've been advised by a few attorney friends of mine not to wear a suit as a defendant. Shave or if you keep a beard like I do, make sure it's neatly trimmed. I would also throw in being well spoken, so maybe jot down a statement or a few notes so that you're not stumbling over your words. Don't make any excuses. Don't blame the cop. If you use the faulty equipment defense, as has been suggested, make sure you show and don't tell. Numbers, figures, research are your best friend in this case.Judges will also look at exactly how much over you were going. So the fact that you were written for doing 81 and not 90 in a 70 is in your favor.

However (and this is a big however), I'm not sure if you need totally clean driving record to be a safety instructor, but if you do, hire a lawyer. From some previous experiences of mine I've noticed that cops and prosecutors are usually out for blood, but judges are generally reasonable. Often they'll knock down a citation to a lesser infraction that way the state still gets a win, but the consequences on your end are much less. Last point: if you choose to fight this yourself, be honest. If you go in pleading guilty or guilty with explanation, just put everything on the table. Your job, what you believed to be the case during the stop, belief that you were not speeding (or not for what you were written for), etc.

I know, I know. TL;DR

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. Now I'm wondering if the court will even be open tomorrow morning with the snow storm rolling through. I'm leaving at 5:00 a.m. in order to get there by 8:30 a.m. (leaving 1+ hr. for weather related delays). Court opens at 8 a.m. An no info on the websites about how to find out if it will be open. Hopefully, I show up, they're closed, I take a picture with a current newspaper on their doorstep proving I was there, and they drop the ticket. Ha, yeah right. I'll report back with how it goes.

Ask for probation or a civil penalty, same money no points. Good luck!

In reply to CGLockRacer:
Ohio has a "Level System" for road conditions.
www.wtol.com in Toledo will be a good source for weather and "Level" info.

Defined:
Under a Level 1 snow emergency, roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads are also icy and drivers are asked to drive very carefully.

Under a Level 2 snow emergency, roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be very icy. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work. Drivers should use extreme caution.

Under a Level 3 snow emergency, all roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one should be driving during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel or a personal emergency exists. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. Those traveling on the roads may subject themselves to arrest.

To get from Adrian to Woodville you will need to travel through the Ohio Counties of:
Lucas County (Toledo)
Wood County (Perrysburg)
Sandusky County (Woodville)

If any of these counties have a "Level 2" tomorrow morning then I would think you have a valid excuse.

In reply to JohnRW1621:

Thanks!

Here at 11pm, Lucas County, Level 3.
Wood and Sandusky Counties at Level 2.
I would say do not travel.

Well, Sandusky county is level 3 currently. I say I have a valid excuse. I called highway patrol about 4:30 a.m. and they just said to call the court as soon as possible.

berkeleying Ohio speed traps are a berkeleying money grab and do no berkeleying good at all.

So I go to court today after not making it last week due to the snow. No issues and not even mentioned. Judge was nice enough. He explained the 3 pleas - Guilty, Not-Guilty, No Contest. I asked if I could as a question. I didn't know what to chose if I was going to pay the fine, but no points. He said he couldn't waive points or give legal advice, but literally said "I'm thinking out loud here, but if it was me, I'd plead not-guilty and talk to one of the prosecutors on hand..." Taking the hint, I plead not-guilty and go talk to the prosecutor.

Prosecutor: "Well, I can't guarantee no points in MI, but the trooper said you admitted to 75 in a 70 [I DID NOT admit to any speed, I said I was not sure what the cruise control was set at; and nothing was written on my ticket, btw] which is 0 points in Ohio and a higher fine."

Ticket was for 81, even though I never set my cruise in OH for more than 79. I verified my speedometer via GPS as well.

So I accepted that even though I didn't like the false speed admission or fact that points may or may not show up on my MI driving record.

Also, while I was waiting to pay my fine and court fees, bent over w/o lube, a LEO pulled over an elderly couple right outside the courthouse in a school zone about 50 ft after the speed limit sign. I don't think it is a good sign either when there is the Speedtrap Diner a couple of blocks from the courthouse. I guess I know how that town makes their money. Avoid Woodville, OH at all costs! And if you can't, don't speed!

I probably should have called one of the attorneys JohnRW1621 listed. Oh well, it's over, I'm a few bucks lighter and will be walking funny for a couple days. Thanks for the advice everyone.

I don't know a lot of things but I do know that you don't speed in Woodville, OH.
I have the displeasure of driving that stretch about twice a week on average.
The speed changes about eight times in less than a mile.

Don't say the cop is lying, say he is "mistaken"

JohnRW1621 wrote: I don't know a lot of things but I do know that you don't speed in Woodville, OH. I have the displeasure of driving that stretch about twice a week on average. The speed changes about eight times in less than a mile.

Looks like the locals are getting tired of it...

From Monday's Toledo Blade

Don't

Stop

This sort of misbehavior on the part of the usually kind and helpful, protective and courteous Law Officers goes right to the heart of something that I propose on several forums each and every Summer, and ALWAYS with no appreciation, cooperation, or participation.

Sp VERY many of the smaller towns in this part of New England rely heavily on speeding fines to make their yearly budgets. It's rather a scandal and is often mentioned on various "Speed Trap" forums, and yet the drivers going in excess of the speed limit is ESSENTIAL for the traffic fl;ow. Were they not often exceeding the posted limit, traffic, especially heading South towards Cape Cod would me a snarled mess every weekend.

I propose that we make the Fourth of July, one of the heaviest traffic days of the year, the official "Take It To The Limit" day and have everyone drive five miles under the posted speed limit regardless. Perfectly legal, MORE than legal according to the Courts, actually safer than driving the speed limit.

In being such good neighbors and conscientious drivers, we will pretty much slow traffic throughout the country and eliminate revenue from tickets entirely for that day, or better yet entire Holiday Weekend.

We're probably talking BILLIONS here, and MAJOR traffic snarls. A newsworthy event pointing out the actual reason for unreasonable speed limits and the insane revenue that they primarily provide.

It's a money issue, NOT a safety issue. The towns, the WONDERFUL Police Officers, the lawyers, the insurance companies all gain from what is a total pain-in-the-ass loss for the drivers.

Time for a little peaceful protest and pay back . . .

In reply to TeamEvil:

I like the way you think, stick it to the man.

I'm so glad I don't live up north in a village. Cause then I would be the village idiot.

My friend still has a framed 165mph in a 55mph zone ticket from Ohio on his wall......despite the speed being recorded, the alleged crime is listed as a "Failure to use turn signal" $24 fine. That is the only proof I know of that Ohio isn't a massive speedtrap operated by dickheads.