After a very traumatic moving violation for running a red light on Halloween at Lombard and…read moreFillmore, where I almost ran down a motorcyclist who decided to stop in the middle of an intersection, I decided that I had been wronged. Slapped with a $280 dollar ticket, I chose to take my case to the SF Municipal Court and lay it all out in front of a judge.
My attorney, more commonly known as my dad, told me Night Court was always the way to go. That way, the police officer who pulled me over would most likely not show up, and that way I could plead my case without being contested.
I armed myself. I was ready to fight this ticket and ready to represent myself in a Court of Law. Complete with a diorama depicting the events of October 31st, 2005 made up of 3 Hot-Wheels Cars and a piece of paper made to look like the intersection , I made my way to the courthouse at about 6pm.
There were some other offenders there, and we were told to get in line. At the front of the line, the bailiff handed us our cases, including the police report. The judge would be given the police report to read, at which point we would be able to plead our cases. If we decided not to plead our case, we would be given a reduced fine and mandatory traffic school.
After reading over my police report, which was VERY incriminating, written from the Officer's POV, my counsel and I (again, my daddy) decided that we would not plead the case, but rather submit to the $50 dollar fine with traffic school. Although I was confident that I hadn't been in the wrong, once your right to pay the $50 dollars and take traffic school is waived, there's no going back. It would then be completely up to the Judge.
We stuck around to listen to the other cases, just for kicks.
The Judge was not Harry T. Stone. Bull wasn't there, and Night Court is actually pretty drab.
I mean, I was in the Moving Violations division, so that might have had something to do with that. Nonetheless, Mr. Judge Dude was pretty hawt. I was starting to regret my decision, just when "guy who ran a stop sign (GWRSS)" was up to plead his case.
It went a little something like this:
Hottie Judge- So, what happened?
GWRSS - I was going down a hill, and I stopped, but my car rolled a little through the stop sign, and that's when I got pulled over.
Hottie Judge - So you are saying you stopped at the stop sign?
GWRSS - Yessir.
Hottie Judge - I see reasonable doubt in this case, and I will dismiss it. You can go.
Oh HELL to the NO! I had a frickin diorama ready for Hottie Judge and Mr. Reasonable Doubt over there just got let loose without even a slap on the wrist.
I could of taken him. I could have won my case. In fact, I am sure of it. Moral of this sad, arduous, lengthy tale is -- fight your traffic violations.
Even if you were in the wrong, still go to night court and get the $50 dollar fine. It's totally worth it, plus learning about our legal system can be an enjoyable, if not educational, nighttime event.
;)
