edwardw818
New Member
Hi:
I'm new here, and I pretty much know some things about the law, but not all of it. Forgive me if it's kinda long, but I just want to prove that I'm not some "punk kid"... I drive a bone stock 1999 Toyota Solara (red car, if that amounts to anything), not some uber-modified F&F wannabe.
Back in February 2006 or so, I got caught in a speed trap and once again in May. I was hoping to fight both cases in person since I obtained a book on how to eradicate speeding tickets in court to get it dismissed under CVC 22350 and 40804, even though I was late for work.
Then bad luck came 2 weeks after I got the May one, but this time in a different city about 42 miles away from me when all I wanted to do was quickly help my girlfriend with a BAD plumbing situation and got an Exhibition of Speed ticket.
More details:
The speed trap in February
Pomona, CA: Some cop with a laser gun was randomly stopping traffic by hand: Clocked me at a ridiculous speed (like 63/35) when I'm only 2 blocks from my house... I'm old fashioned; I tried to take it easy since the car was not warmed up (which I even showed him my temp. gauge barely crawling into the bracket from "C").
Then after using a stall tactic (e.g. applying for the max amount of court date extensions so that he would be less likely to remember me as time goes), showing up for arraignment, paying the stupid bail and finally getting a court date giddy as a schoolgirl that they got nothing against me (since I had about 6 case trials in my arm, the request of impossible evidence for proof and a few trick questions that'll definitely get it dismissed), I show up... A week late since I mis-scheduled the court date.
The speed trap in May
As a weird coincidence, this was supposed to be the day I was due in court, and he (the exact same cop) was on a different stretch of the highway and this time I find myself again, running late for work and in a panic... Boy am I glad my taxes and another load of bail money is going to be well spent! Where were you when my friend was getting robbed??? You guys never showed up after waiting 2 hours in the cold (I had to go to pick him up)!
Anyway, I stretched the arraignment to December, when I was coincidentally broke and hit rock bottom after losing my job... Credit cards maxed out, denied loans, exhausted savings, -$400 in the bank, you know the drill. So after scraping the required $229 for their donut funding/bail (actually a donut would've sounded quite good to ease Old Man Hunger instead of $0.20 Top Ramen every day), I sent it in by certified mail within a note that prominently states that I changed my address (thanks to an eviction for not being able to make rent), then I go online and find out that my case has been "forfeited." but my check was processed and deducted from my account. WTF?????
EOS Charge
(longest, but most complicated)
Burbank, CA: 2 weeks after the 2nd speed trap, like I said, my G/F was having a plumbing problem, but alas, an interesting twist: I was cramming an important exam the night before, only had 4 hours of sleep, managed to make it through the day (dozing off in the lunch room too), showing up for the exam, then to sleep... For an hour. At 10PM, she calls panicking since her rusty faucet in her 50 year-old condo's old faucet exploded and created a vertical geyser.
So, after having her trying to find the water main and adding another THREE twists to the story (1. the sink's valve was stripped, 2. the main water valve was stuck and 3. Guess where the Yellow pages to get a local 24-hour plumber were...? Right in the path of the water and the neighbors weren't much help!), too tired to grasp logic, I throw on some formidable clothes, put some Visine in my eyes to relieve the burning of the red-eye, hop into my car half-asleep and zip down there almost ready to fall asleep at the wheel.
After being only about 4 blocks from her apartment and still very bleary, I was going the limit (since the street I was on is known for cop infestations), but not 2 seconds from the intersection this a-hole in a tricked-out white Bimmer was cruising with the windows down. Then, obviously tired and the type that wakes up slow (probably even slower considering I only got 4-8 hours of sleep in 48 hours), I yawn with my foot still on the pedal, my engine surged and all I can hear is him yelling something before revving up.
Then, 2 cops in the same car light MY car up (hello???? race-built car vs. a commuter in a panic for damsel in distress), and were rude/belligerent to me right from the start (e.g. license plate registration, dumbass!); I've never heard the word dumbass so many times in one setting in my life! So despite my half-awake tone, piss-pants worried about my girlfriend and phone going off every 5 minutes, they search my car (even misplacing the keys that I had to find), take their sweet time with everything and finally slap me with an EOS ticket after what seemed like 1 1/2 hours of a nice little FUGAZI (by this time her front door turned into a waterfall and she's standing in the living room crying and holding a baking pan to deflect the water back down the sink while the neighbors are just standing there trying to call the plumbers alphabetically... Thanks pigs).
Then the worst happens: Since I shoved the ticket into my jacket's pocket, I tried to fix the problem by seeing if I can temporarily duct tape the baking tray to the wall while I try to shut it off... But at this point my jacket was soaked. So after spending the night at her house, to my dismay my copy of the citation was destroyed by the dryer. I called the court the next day, didn't find anything under my driver's license number. 21 days, the recommended amount of days, nothing. 29 days... Still nothing, so I just assumed the bastards felt sorry for me and moved on sans charge.
Then in November I get into an accident avoiding an accident and wanted to file a police report for my insurance. Then halfway through, he pulls my record and --ALAS-- a warrant. Glad that he decided to just reschedule a court date instead of arresting me.
Then I go down to court... On the 2nd day of a new job. After waiting for 45 minutes for his precious honor to come out, 2 hours to do their stupid rituals and finally calling me for arraignment, I decided to hire a public attorney to represent me... The paperwork took all day and I was there until almost closing. After trying to squeeze some words in with her butting in on every sentence I made and again, treating me like a criminal (Yeah, I'd sure move to Burbank in a heartbeat knowing your justice system treats people like crud!), she talks the charges down to common speeding and a failure to appear with $500 civil assessment and $1000 bail.
Suspension
Well about a month ago I got a notice in the mail with motions to suspend my license. I got a hearing scheduled for the 28th. Can't find any helpful resources; there's tons of books out there for fighting tickets, but none for helping you through suspension hearings, and didn't give it much thought until I looked at my appointment book.
=======END OF STORY=======
My questions:
A. Since the Exhibition of Speed case was reduced to an infraction, is there a chance to fight it (since they made me plea guilty for the reduction to occur)? I think I can fight the speeding (no specific speed, car mislabeled as a Honda when I got a copy of the original citation), but is there any tips to fight a failure to appear?
B. What is the likelihood of the law reopening my case if I show them a voided check and a Xerox of my change of address?
C. Is there any lawyer willing to take a few of the 50 BAR-needed hours to do a pro bono case for Wednesday the 28th of March at 9AM in the City of Commerce (suspension hearing)? I'm a broke college student and still recovering from the wallowing amount of debts owed... PLEASE? I know it's short notice, but I just realized how tough it is to ace one and thought I could fight it on my own.
I'm new here, and I pretty much know some things about the law, but not all of it. Forgive me if it's kinda long, but I just want to prove that I'm not some "punk kid"... I drive a bone stock 1999 Toyota Solara (red car, if that amounts to anything), not some uber-modified F&F wannabe.
Back in February 2006 or so, I got caught in a speed trap and once again in May. I was hoping to fight both cases in person since I obtained a book on how to eradicate speeding tickets in court to get it dismissed under CVC 22350 and 40804, even though I was late for work.
Then bad luck came 2 weeks after I got the May one, but this time in a different city about 42 miles away from me when all I wanted to do was quickly help my girlfriend with a BAD plumbing situation and got an Exhibition of Speed ticket.
More details:
The speed trap in February
Pomona, CA: Some cop with a laser gun was randomly stopping traffic by hand: Clocked me at a ridiculous speed (like 63/35) when I'm only 2 blocks from my house... I'm old fashioned; I tried to take it easy since the car was not warmed up (which I even showed him my temp. gauge barely crawling into the bracket from "C").
Then after using a stall tactic (e.g. applying for the max amount of court date extensions so that he would be less likely to remember me as time goes), showing up for arraignment, paying the stupid bail and finally getting a court date giddy as a schoolgirl that they got nothing against me (since I had about 6 case trials in my arm, the request of impossible evidence for proof and a few trick questions that'll definitely get it dismissed), I show up... A week late since I mis-scheduled the court date.
The speed trap in May
As a weird coincidence, this was supposed to be the day I was due in court, and he (the exact same cop) was on a different stretch of the highway and this time I find myself again, running late for work and in a panic... Boy am I glad my taxes and another load of bail money is going to be well spent! Where were you when my friend was getting robbed??? You guys never showed up after waiting 2 hours in the cold (I had to go to pick him up)!
Anyway, I stretched the arraignment to December, when I was coincidentally broke and hit rock bottom after losing my job... Credit cards maxed out, denied loans, exhausted savings, -$400 in the bank, you know the drill. So after scraping the required $229 for their donut funding/bail (actually a donut would've sounded quite good to ease Old Man Hunger instead of $0.20 Top Ramen every day), I sent it in by certified mail within a note that prominently states that I changed my address (thanks to an eviction for not being able to make rent), then I go online and find out that my case has been "forfeited." but my check was processed and deducted from my account. WTF?????
EOS Charge
(longest, but most complicated)
Burbank, CA: 2 weeks after the 2nd speed trap, like I said, my G/F was having a plumbing problem, but alas, an interesting twist: I was cramming an important exam the night before, only had 4 hours of sleep, managed to make it through the day (dozing off in the lunch room too), showing up for the exam, then to sleep... For an hour. At 10PM, she calls panicking since her rusty faucet in her 50 year-old condo's old faucet exploded and created a vertical geyser.
So, after having her trying to find the water main and adding another THREE twists to the story (1. the sink's valve was stripped, 2. the main water valve was stuck and 3. Guess where the Yellow pages to get a local 24-hour plumber were...? Right in the path of the water and the neighbors weren't much help!), too tired to grasp logic, I throw on some formidable clothes, put some Visine in my eyes to relieve the burning of the red-eye, hop into my car half-asleep and zip down there almost ready to fall asleep at the wheel.
After being only about 4 blocks from her apartment and still very bleary, I was going the limit (since the street I was on is known for cop infestations), but not 2 seconds from the intersection this a-hole in a tricked-out white Bimmer was cruising with the windows down. Then, obviously tired and the type that wakes up slow (probably even slower considering I only got 4-8 hours of sleep in 48 hours), I yawn with my foot still on the pedal, my engine surged and all I can hear is him yelling something before revving up.
Then, 2 cops in the same car light MY car up (hello???? race-built car vs. a commuter in a panic for damsel in distress), and were rude/belligerent to me right from the start (e.g. license plate registration, dumbass!); I've never heard the word dumbass so many times in one setting in my life! So despite my half-awake tone, piss-pants worried about my girlfriend and phone going off every 5 minutes, they search my car (even misplacing the keys that I had to find), take their sweet time with everything and finally slap me with an EOS ticket after what seemed like 1 1/2 hours of a nice little FUGAZI (by this time her front door turned into a waterfall and she's standing in the living room crying and holding a baking pan to deflect the water back down the sink while the neighbors are just standing there trying to call the plumbers alphabetically... Thanks pigs).
Then the worst happens: Since I shoved the ticket into my jacket's pocket, I tried to fix the problem by seeing if I can temporarily duct tape the baking tray to the wall while I try to shut it off... But at this point my jacket was soaked. So after spending the night at her house, to my dismay my copy of the citation was destroyed by the dryer. I called the court the next day, didn't find anything under my driver's license number. 21 days, the recommended amount of days, nothing. 29 days... Still nothing, so I just assumed the bastards felt sorry for me and moved on sans charge.
Then in November I get into an accident avoiding an accident and wanted to file a police report for my insurance. Then halfway through, he pulls my record and --ALAS-- a warrant. Glad that he decided to just reschedule a court date instead of arresting me.
Then I go down to court... On the 2nd day of a new job. After waiting for 45 minutes for his precious honor to come out, 2 hours to do their stupid rituals and finally calling me for arraignment, I decided to hire a public attorney to represent me... The paperwork took all day and I was there until almost closing. After trying to squeeze some words in with her butting in on every sentence I made and again, treating me like a criminal (Yeah, I'd sure move to Burbank in a heartbeat knowing your justice system treats people like crud!), she talks the charges down to common speeding and a failure to appear with $500 civil assessment and $1000 bail.
Suspension
Well about a month ago I got a notice in the mail with motions to suspend my license. I got a hearing scheduled for the 28th. Can't find any helpful resources; there's tons of books out there for fighting tickets, but none for helping you through suspension hearings, and didn't give it much thought until I looked at my appointment book.
=======END OF STORY=======
My questions:
A. Since the Exhibition of Speed case was reduced to an infraction, is there a chance to fight it (since they made me plea guilty for the reduction to occur)? I think I can fight the speeding (no specific speed, car mislabeled as a Honda when I got a copy of the original citation), but is there any tips to fight a failure to appear?
B. What is the likelihood of the law reopening my case if I show them a voided check and a Xerox of my change of address?
C. Is there any lawyer willing to take a few of the 50 BAR-needed hours to do a pro bono case for Wednesday the 28th of March at 9AM in the City of Commerce (suspension hearing)? I'm a broke college student and still recovering from the wallowing amount of debts owed... PLEASE? I know it's short notice, but I just realized how tough it is to ace one and thought I could fight it on my own.
