Grade-A Bullshit. I need legal advice.

[Mr. Blonde]

Alright. I'm going to start this story from the beginning. Basically, I got a speeding ticket Mid November '05 for going 16 over in a 55mph zone. There are other details, but that's the gist of it.

I havent had a ticket since I was 18, about 4 years ago, so I went ahead and opted for the ticket diversion program. There were three conditions to this diversion, that A. i hadn't had a ticket in the past two years. B. I had never been arrested or have any prior convictions and C. I forget what the third one was. So I did it, went through all this bullshit red tape, and paid $182.00 to erase the ticket.

About a month later, I received a letter at my home address (rather than here, where i strictly told them to mail anything), and my dad calls and says i owe money for a ticket, and that they're re-instating the ticket. Naturally, this happened on a Friday afternoon, so i had the whole weekend to get pissed off about this. I called on Monday to find that, they found that a minor consumption ticket that I received sophomore year was the cause of this violation of contract. However, I diverted the ticket, and was never technically arrested, and it shouldn't be on my record.

They are keeping my 182.00 and tomorrow are expecting me to pay the ticket as well. This all seems pretty shady to me. If they really are basing it off of the minor consumption, which shouldn't be on my record anyways, shouldn't they do a pre-diversion background check to see if i'm eligible, rather than taking my money and then doing it afterwards?

The only thing I could think that could legitimize this, was that traffic and minor consumption tickets are in the same bracket, which would mean that i did get a ticket/diversion in the past 2 years, which i just thought of while writing this. Regardless, the fact that they didn't do a background check and are just taking my money post-facto is pretty shitty.

[THEINCREDIBLEdork]

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. You're a criminal, you pay the price.

[Ironic Mustache]

It sounds like garbage to me, but it also sounds like garbage they might end up getting away with. I'd bet money that this exact situation happens ALL THE TIME, and they pretty much keep doing it this way so that they can keep getting away with stealing people's money.

[SittinOnDubsWGW]

shitty situation indeed, as you stated in your last paragraph, this could very well be the case.

Have you contacted them personally and asked about the ability to get the $182 back from the diversion, being that the diversion was in fact never really done?

Give that a shot, that in all reality is your best bet, to go in and discuss this in person.

[vaga1220 *]

No goddamn way I would pay the ticket.

[Mr. Blonde]

Originally Posted by vaga1220

No goddamn way I would pay the ticket.

Well yeah, I really don't want to, but I also don't want a warrant out for me.

[angry pancake]

No help here either.

You were actually arrested when you were handed the ticket.

It's considered an equivalent to arrest.

[Ugly Bastard]

Originally Posted by angry pancake

No help here either.

You've got nothing? I specifically told Blonde to post this on Nubblies 'cause I figured you'd be able to tell him some shit.

[Beebs]

Best chance is a lawyer, but that will be more than the cost of the ticket, unless you have a family friend, or possibly family business lawyer, which I think you might.

[SittinOnDubsWGW]

Originally Posted by DJ FC

You were actually arrested when you were handed the ticket.

It's considered an equivalent to arrest.

This is true.

[theMerciless1]

AP knows as much about criminal law as i know about spelunking

[angry pancake]

Don't know anything about traffic tickets. Haven't paid one in years. There's about an 80 percent chance that I know either the local prosecutor or the judge or both.

[Ugly Bastard]

That's sexy. So (if) when I become a lawyer, I know the right people, I won't ever have to pay a speeding ticket again? Yay that.

[Ironic Mustache]

So you gave up on mortgages already eh UB?

[angry pancake]

For the most part. . . yeah.

Most likely you'll have a pal who makes it go away. If not, they know that you know that you can fucking make their life miserable over a couple of hundred bucks that goes into somebody else's pocket.

[ProfessorNumber]

Originally Posted by THEINCREDIBLEdork

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. You're a criminal, you pay the price.

Hahahahahahaha. He does raise a good point.

[jbonham]

Like Beebs said, try a friend that is a lawyer or a friend's parent. A buddy of mine's Dad took care of that stuff when I was in High School if it was local. You have to know somebody or at least somebody that knows somebody.

[blackbirdsjoy]

i can be your lawyer for $5

[Mr. Blonde]

Well I took it to my lawyer and he told me I pretty much didnt have a case, which I already kind of assumed. I went into court yesterday to see if I couldn't at least try to lower it/see if the cop would show up, dressed up nice and everything. The cop wasnt there, but since it was because he's on sick leave for some surgery, it doesnt count as him being absent, plus the Prosecutor said we each get one continuance....so it got rescheduled till like the middle of July now...whoopity doo.

>>> on a similar note, i already got the money order to pay for the ticket before i decided i would try to lower it. I have been getting money orders for shit for years, but have NO idea how to cash them. Can I do it at a bank? I figured as much but i'd like to know just as well.