The REAL answer:
"I received a ticket on 4/8/04 for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The cop wrote on the ticket that the offense happened on 5/8/04. Since this date has not occured yet, is this enough to say it's a defective ticket and have it thrown out of court?"
*** Probably. The simple fact is that the date has not happened yet, so in order for the ticket to be valid, the citing officer would have to have ESP.
At this point, you have two possible options:
1) Contact the prosecutor and advise him/her that there is no way that the ticket is valid as the date hasn't even occurred yet. The downside to this is that once they are 'noticed', they could simply correct the ticket and give you a new one.
or
2) Make sure that at the time/date of the violation, you have an IRONCLAD alibi as to your location at that time. Then, simply show up in court on the date/time shown for your hearing and bring your PROOF with you. Simply, if you can prove that you were not at the location of the violation at the time noted, the court will have little option but to dismiss the citation. Of course, this is all based on your absolute denial of ANY knowledge of the violation. If you show up with the citation in your possession or admit to knowing of it, or admit to the wrong date, the court can again simple correct the 'simple' error and proceed.