Underage Consumption

What is the name of your state? GA

Ok, here is the whole story. A friend(age 19) and I(20) arrived back to my dorm room about 11:00 in the evening and decided to mix us one drink. We both drank our drinks and sat around for a while in the dorm room playing cards. At about 1:00 a.m. we went outside to smoke a cigar before going to bed. On the way back in the building at approx. 2:00 a.m. an officer stopped us and asked us had we been drinking. At first I tried to deny it and then we went ahead and told him the whole story about what had gone on that night. He proceded to take us downstairs to the station and wrote me a ticket for underage consumption of alcohol. We were not disturbing anything but he said he could just look into our eyes and tell that we had been drinking. 1 drink!!! I just wanted to know what I needed to do prior to my court date. Can I just pay the fine, do I have to appear in court, can I plead no lo? Any help would be great. Thank you very much.

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What did the officer say when he/she explained the citation to you?

The officer really didn't say much. He just asked us how much we had to drink and that was about it. We weren't causing any trouble, we were just about to go to bed when he stopped us. He just gave me the phone number to the clerks office and gave me a court date. There were never any alcohol tests administered though so I'm not really sure what's going to happen.

this isnt legal advice

but I am curious how you can have been cited without a breathalyzer having been done? My son just went through this his THIRD day at PSU!! The stupid kid peed in a bush so the undercover cops did a breathalyzer and the result was barely on the charts.. .01. He had a bit over one beer in him. Regardless, he was underage, and will pay the fine. Im not sure of the laws in your state, but in PA, State College to be exact, he can take a 15 hour course (which he WILL do), pay about the same costs monetarily, and have the charges dropped. You could see if this is available at your college.

You, like my son were doing something illegal. I can imagine my son, like you, would have admitted to drinking too, if asked by the police. You can both kick yourselves really hard for being caught with only ONE drink in you, but it was still illegal, and many colleges are practicing zero tolerance. In PA, the fines amount to about $300. My son will plead guilty because he was guilty.. i cant see the sense of hiring an attorney to see if he could "beat the rap".

I know at PSU, they are waiting outside dorms/frat houses, etc just looking for reasons to administer breathalyzers. If you trip over a crack in the sidewalk, or friggin' pee in a bush.. you could be busted. Learn from it.

The odor of intoxicants on your breath usually provides sufficient evidence.

You have the number to the clerk of courts, call them and ask.