that was my understanding... I've always been told that if you are contesting the ticket, and the officer isn't there, you will be bringing your ass back to court the next time the officer is scheduled to appear.

Smokeybear: Can you validate either which way?

 

and remember...fighting for weak ass tickets that you know your busted for..only makes you look bad by showing up in court..pay over the phone if you can, rather than showing your face up in court...then lata on when u get some ticket thats pretty bad and u have to goto court...judge doesnt remember ur face. ive had around 13 exhuast tickets...all paid over the phone...if not...pssh, judge would have locked me up the 5th time he seen me..lol

 

You're retarded.

 

I would definitely go to court, whats the worst could happen? Normally they reduce the charge when you are present. Recalibrating your speedo and depending on how much it is off, they typically take that into consideration for a reduced charge. Considering this it your first ticket, you may offer some sort of an improvement class, and since the fact that it is your first ticket, he may work with you, who knows?

 

Wow.

 

 

Uhh, you're retarded too then.

 

ummm, no. The cop that gave me reckless ticket didn't show up, and the judge asked us to plead guilty or not guilty. The two people in front of me plead guilty and had to pay the ticket and court fees. I plead not guilty and was told to take a seat and that we would get back to my case. I had to wait until the end of the docket, but he called my cops cases again, and dismissed my case since my officer wasn't there. If your cop isn't there how can they prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you were even breaking the law by speeding?

:edit: Ask for a continuance when you go in, thats what I did the first time when I went to court (the officer did show up), even if the cop shows up the 2nd time, you can at least postpone the ticket a little bit longer. Also depending on how long your driving record is, take a copy of it. My first speeding ticket even though I was found guilty, I only had to pay court costs and not the actual ticket, so it's always worth a shot going to court. :/edit:

 

I went to court to fight an exhaust ticket where the cop didn't show and the judge did continued it.

However, if the cop doesn't show up to court you can still plead guilty. It can work out in your favor since the judge will convict you based on your testimony. Thats what I did with my reckless I got at the Pepsi plant(ahh, the good ole days). The cop didn't show and I plead guilty to RD and explained that I didn't feel my actions were reckless based upon the conditions. The judge sided with my story and dropped it to improper driving with a $50 fine.

 

Why would you plead guilty if the cop didn't show up. You could have said that you weren't speeding at all and the judge would not have been able to do anything but drop it. If the cop doesn't show up, you basically got a freebie, don't plead guilty.