Case: Dismissed
I didn't write about this before since it was an active case.The title gave it away. :-)On the way to camping back on March 22nd of this year I got a speeding ticket.
Like everyone, I say it's not me.Unlike most everyone else, I have video.Take a look at the detail of the infraction.
Ok, you might say. The cop lasered you fair and square.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XojiZL0NUE]Except I'm in the right lane. There's the overtaking SUV in the left lane.I'm just the dumbass that stopped.
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The ticket was for $113.I retained a lawyer. For almost 3x the cost of the ticket. $300 in this case.Why? Threefold: Principal, insurance, because you should.I'm quite convinced that I'm not the one that got tagged and the cop was lying. I'm also quite sure that insurance goes up with violations. Also, you should always fight a ticket, it'll pay off in the long run.I retained Orlando Tadique in Aberdeen, WA, the location of the court house. The location that's over three hours away. I sent him the video above and he got quite excited. :-) He also pointed out that the officer who wrote the ticket has a questionable reputation for honesty.The court date was set for Tuesday, May 14th.He filed discovery requests. The due date was a week prior to the trial. (Oh, I should mention that in Grays County all traffic violations are handled by a full court case, not just a magistrate.)For whatever reason the prosecutor's office didn't respond.I talked to him at 1PM today. He informed me of their idiocy."So, what does that mean to me?" I asked."They're going to ask for a continuation.""And...""I'm going to object. Why should we be penalized for them not having their act together? After the deadline it's up to judicial discretion to allow discovery until the day before the trial. Then it's thrown out outright by the court."He called them about the tardiness of the documents. I'm sure he hinted at the weakness of the case and that we actually had evidence to disprove the state's case -- or at least turn the officer into a lier.He called back a couple hours later."They decided to dismiss the case. You're all set."Ahh... music to my ears.