F
fozzy
Guest
What is the name of your state? Pennsylvania
I recently received a non-traffic citation for disorderly conduct. My conduct was possessing a pipe and grinder(i was holding them for a friend; stupid, i know). I did not have any actual mariuana on me, so the police officer gave me a break by giving me a citation for disorderly conduct, as opposed to arresting me and charging me with a misdemeanor for possesion of parephenalia.
At the same time I also received a citation for underage drinking(had a .06 BAC).
while i have no chance of being found "not guilty" for either citation, If I plead guilty without going before a judge, I automatically have to pay $700+ dollars in fines. ~$315 per ticket, and an extra ~115 for getting two at the same time. For the underage citation, the officer told me i could take classes in lieu of paying the fine, if i plead not guilty at first, and went before a judge who would assign me to ARD(the classes). However, he told me that if i didn't plead guilty right away to the disorderly conduct citation(for the pipe), that he'd charge me criminally. This bothers me, because I really don't want to pay the fine, and would rather do community service, or something like that(I'd have to borrow money to pay the fines). The only way to do this is to plead not guilty and go before a judge. But if the police officer charges me with a misdemeanor, I will definitely need a lawyer, which will cost me even more than paying the fines. Somethign in my head says that the police officer can't legally charge me with the misdemeanor if i end up being guilty of the disorderly conduct charge, but that is what I'm asking all of you.
Also, supposedly if I do the ARD classes for the underage drinking fine, the citation is dropped(according to the police officer). Does this mean I can not pay the additional 115 dollars for getting two citations at once?
Does the citation for disorderly conduct have and bearing on college financial aid? How will this incident appear on my record, to the government and future employers?
I will be going to school out of state this fall. This is relevant since I may not be in the area long enough to complete the classes(i believe 12.5 hours are required). This is why I am interested in community service of some sort. What can I do, if I will not be around long enough to do the classes?
I know these are relatively minor charges, compared to what I could have gotten, and the penalties are relatively minor also. I would have gotten a lawyer if they were more serious, but I have a hard time justifying the expense in this case.
Thanks to everyone who responds. Hopefully i won't need any of your advice again, in the future.
- fozzy
I recently received a non-traffic citation for disorderly conduct. My conduct was possessing a pipe and grinder(i was holding them for a friend; stupid, i know). I did not have any actual mariuana on me, so the police officer gave me a break by giving me a citation for disorderly conduct, as opposed to arresting me and charging me with a misdemeanor for possesion of parephenalia.
At the same time I also received a citation for underage drinking(had a .06 BAC).
while i have no chance of being found "not guilty" for either citation, If I plead guilty without going before a judge, I automatically have to pay $700+ dollars in fines. ~$315 per ticket, and an extra ~115 for getting two at the same time. For the underage citation, the officer told me i could take classes in lieu of paying the fine, if i plead not guilty at first, and went before a judge who would assign me to ARD(the classes). However, he told me that if i didn't plead guilty right away to the disorderly conduct citation(for the pipe), that he'd charge me criminally. This bothers me, because I really don't want to pay the fine, and would rather do community service, or something like that(I'd have to borrow money to pay the fines). The only way to do this is to plead not guilty and go before a judge. But if the police officer charges me with a misdemeanor, I will definitely need a lawyer, which will cost me even more than paying the fines. Somethign in my head says that the police officer can't legally charge me with the misdemeanor if i end up being guilty of the disorderly conduct charge, but that is what I'm asking all of you.
Also, supposedly if I do the ARD classes for the underage drinking fine, the citation is dropped(according to the police officer). Does this mean I can not pay the additional 115 dollars for getting two citations at once?
Does the citation for disorderly conduct have and bearing on college financial aid? How will this incident appear on my record, to the government and future employers?
I will be going to school out of state this fall. This is relevant since I may not be in the area long enough to complete the classes(i believe 12.5 hours are required). This is why I am interested in community service of some sort. What can I do, if I will not be around long enough to do the classes?
I know these are relatively minor charges, compared to what I could have gotten, and the penalties are relatively minor also. I would have gotten a lawyer if they were more serious, but I have a hard time justifying the expense in this case.
Thanks to everyone who responds. Hopefully i won't need any of your advice again, in the future.
- fozzy