YDH (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} adamopoulos) wrote,@ 2006-06-01 09:07:00 |
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YDH vs. The City of Fairfax
About a month and a half ago, I got pulled over on the Fairfax Co. Parkway. I got clocked doing 71 in a 50. I can talk about how a 50mph limit is absurd for something called a parkway, but really, it's Virginia. I'm not wasting my time or yours.
Ok, so 21mph over the limit. The great Commonwealth of Virginia considers that reckless driving. Insurance companies raw dog your ass on premiums as well when you get one. Considering the consequences, I decided to withhold any wisecracks to the police officer, which resulted in him knocking my ticket down to a 69 in a 50, thus eliminating the automatic reckless driving charge.
A few weeks go by, and my court date nears. I look at the citation, and see that court begins at 9:30am on Wednesday, May 17. I show up to the court. Well, back up. I park in the parking garage for the court, then walk a mile to the actual courtroom beneath all kinds of scaffolding and other construction taking place. Then I get to the door and a huge line is coming out of the building. What's the hold up? Metal detectors. It's worse than freaking TSA here, and they clearly do this on purpose so that people miss their hearing even when they are on time. Dicks.
I finally get in a half hour later, and look on the electronic docket for my name. I am nowhere to be found. I ask the attendant, and her refers me to one of the registers. I wait in line, and finally someone sees me. I show her my citation, and she looks up my record on the computer. She says, "sir, your court date was two days ago. You missed it, and were ruled guilty in your absence."
To say that I was pissed would be a ridiculous understatement. I could probably have channeled fire with my hands at that point. Hadouken. I look at the my citation's date. It looks like a 17 still. I moved it over to where there was more light. In the right light, it looked like an aborted 15. That '5' the officer wrote on there was so fucked up that it looked more like a curly '7' than anything else. I go off about this to the clerk, who explains to me that I have the option to file a motion for a retrial. I accept, and am given the new date, which took place today. The only problem was that I had to pay the full fine right there, which was $172.00. I was also given the opportunity to write my reason for the motion for the judge to read the next time I was in court.
I would like to thank Officer Lohr and his remedial penmanship for causing me to miss my court date two days ago. I never thought about how much a five and a seven look alike until I was blessed with seeing such a work of art. Please allow another hearing.
...ok, I wrote that while I was angry, and in retrospect, it probably wasn't the best idea to have a judge read that before the court...
So I go to court AGAIN, leaving myself enough time for all the bullshit of arriving, and finally find my name on the docket, with my middle initial incorrect. I sit through all of the people's stupid hearings, and am finally called. I get up there, and my officer is not there, because it wasn't one of his designated court dates I suppose.
Judge: How are you this morning?
YDH: I am reasonable.
Judge: Er, um, ok. I guess that's better than... uh, anyway, you have filed a motion to have your case heard again. Let's see here..
(He reads the above note that I had written weeks ago, and from what I could tell, he was trying very hard to hide his amusement)
Judge: Do you still have your copy of the citation so that I can see this odd '5'?
YDH: No, for some reason the clerk kept it when I paid the fine that was given to me originally.
Judge: Well, without this citation I really can't say whether or not his handwriting was...
I interrupt..
YDH: Sir, can I ask you what my middle initial is on the docket?
Judge: It says it's a 'V'
YDH: Um, yeah, my middle initial is a 'J'. Apparently numbers aren't Officer Lohr's only handwriting problem.
Judge: Oh. Wow. Good point. Ok, well, as long as you were going to enter a plea of guilty anyway, and your driving record is excellent, I have no problem reducing this. I am going to reduce this from a 64 in a 50 to a 59 in a 50.
!!!
Did he just say 64 in a 50? My ticket said 69 in a 50. Officer Lohr and his retarded writing hand has saved me again, as his '9' was mistaken for a '4'!! This puts me in the 1-9mph over the limit range, which is a $50 ticket and doesn't even show up on the insurance. The fine City of Fairfax will be sending me a refund check in the mail for the difference between the original fine I paid and what the final fine was. Thank you and good day!
-YDH
About a month and a half ago, I got pulled over on the Fairfax Co. Parkway. I got clocked doing 71 in a 50. I can talk about how a 50mph limit is absurd for something called a parkway, but really, it's Virginia. I'm not wasting my time or yours.
Ok, so 21mph over the limit. The great Commonwealth of Virginia considers that reckless driving. Insurance companies raw dog your ass on premiums as well when you get one. Considering the consequences, I decided to withhold any wisecracks to the police officer, which resulted in him knocking my ticket down to a 69 in a 50, thus eliminating the automatic reckless driving charge.
A few weeks go by, and my court date nears. I look at the citation, and see that court begins at 9:30am on Wednesday, May 17. I show up to the court. Well, back up. I park in the parking garage for the court, then walk a mile to the actual courtroom beneath all kinds of scaffolding and other construction taking place. Then I get to the door and a huge line is coming out of the building. What's the hold up? Metal detectors. It's worse than freaking TSA here, and they clearly do this on purpose so that people miss their hearing even when they are on time. Dicks.
I finally get in a half hour later, and look on the electronic docket for my name. I am nowhere to be found. I ask the attendant, and her refers me to one of the registers. I wait in line, and finally someone sees me. I show her my citation, and she looks up my record on the computer. She says, "sir, your court date was two days ago. You missed it, and were ruled guilty in your absence."
To say that I was pissed would be a ridiculous understatement. I could probably have channeled fire with my hands at that point. Hadouken. I look at the my citation's date. It looks like a 17 still. I moved it over to where there was more light. In the right light, it looked like an aborted 15. That '5' the officer wrote on there was so fucked up that it looked more like a curly '7' than anything else. I go off about this to the clerk, who explains to me that I have the option to file a motion for a retrial. I accept, and am given the new date, which took place today. The only problem was that I had to pay the full fine right there, which was $172.00. I was also given the opportunity to write my reason for the motion for the judge to read the next time I was in court.
I would like to thank Officer Lohr and his remedial penmanship for causing me to miss my court date two days ago. I never thought about how much a five and a seven look alike until I was blessed with seeing such a work of art. Please allow another hearing.
...ok, I wrote that while I was angry, and in retrospect, it probably wasn't the best idea to have a judge read that before the court...
So I go to court AGAIN, leaving myself enough time for all the bullshit of arriving, and finally find my name on the docket, with my middle initial incorrect. I sit through all of the people's stupid hearings, and am finally called. I get up there, and my officer is not there, because it wasn't one of his designated court dates I suppose.
Judge: How are you this morning?
YDH: I am reasonable.
Judge: Er, um, ok. I guess that's better than... uh, anyway, you have filed a motion to have your case heard again. Let's see here..
(He reads the above note that I had written weeks ago, and from what I could tell, he was trying very hard to hide his amusement)
Judge: Do you still have your copy of the citation so that I can see this odd '5'?
YDH: No, for some reason the clerk kept it when I paid the fine that was given to me originally.
Judge: Well, without this citation I really can't say whether or not his handwriting was...
I interrupt..
YDH: Sir, can I ask you what my middle initial is on the docket?
Judge: It says it's a 'V'
YDH: Um, yeah, my middle initial is a 'J'. Apparently numbers aren't Officer Lohr's only handwriting problem.
Judge: Oh. Wow. Good point. Ok, well, as long as you were going to enter a plea of guilty anyway, and your driving record is excellent, I have no problem reducing this. I am going to reduce this from a 64 in a 50 to a 59 in a 50.
!!!
Did he just say 64 in a 50? My ticket said 69 in a 50. Officer Lohr and his retarded writing hand has saved me again, as his '9' was mistaken for a '4'!! This puts me in the 1-9mph over the limit range, which is a $50 ticket and doesn't even show up on the insurance. The fine City of Fairfax will be sending me a refund check in the mail for the difference between the original fine I paid and what the final fine was. Thank you and good day!
-YDH
