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Underage possesion of beer - litter fine

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U

unclebob2004

Guest
What is the name of your state? Reside in Georgia. Fined in South Carolina.

On Sunday two of my friends and myself were stupid and brought 6 beers up to the lake. Friends, both 17, and I am 18. After the beers were drank we were going to throw away the cans. I went up to the parking area to get some gum and on my way down to the water I walked past two what I called park rangers. I alerted my friends to this and we decided to put the cans under this cliff type deal. About an hour and a half later we were walking to the parking lot to leave. My friend got in his truck and started it up ready to leave. I put our cooler (with Dr. Pepper in it now) into my trunk. Me and my other friend got in and I gave him the keys to unlock the glove compartment as I lock my faceplate for my radio in there. He got it unlocked and put it on. He gave me the keys and I turned the radio on but not the car started. I got a bag of jolly ranchers (in the actual bag) out of my center console and got one in my hand when all of a sudden this Department of Natural resource law enforcement officer runs out of the woods and leaps over my friend and yells give it to me!...and grabs the jolly rancher bag out of my hand and starts yelling for me to drop it. Scared as anything, I dropped the jolly rancher in his hand. He yelled to kill the other guy's engine and he did so. We were ordered out of the vehicles. We proceeded to the back of the cars. The guy who grabbed the candy away from me radioed his partner and they blocked the parking lot with their truck. They asked us where the beer was at and our first reaction was to say we did not have any. They told us to quit lying as we were going to be arrested for underage possession of beer and littering. So of course we begin telling the truth after that. We were all ordered to empty our pockets as we all did. Next, the cop who grabbed my jolly ranchers searched my other friends truck. The partner searched mine. He continually harassed us about telling them we had drugs. They continually said they were calling in the dogs. He searched the inside of my '97 mustang going through the center console, glove compartment, under the seats, and was staring down the cracks in my gear shifter/center console piece with his flashlight searching for drugs. We all told him we did not have any as I have never done any and never will. He spent a good 5 minutes staring trying to find something in that area so I offered him to take that whole 4' console out so he could see under it (I am always working on my car). He told me to get back behind the car. I did so. He then told me to open the truck and I did so. I told him there was nothing in there and lifted up my trunk mat just to find cotton fiber like used in sewing (damping of my subwoofers I recently took out to work on). He dug around in my trunk and the other officer was like "right there!"...they were disappointed when they saw they found a blown up whistler (firework) thrown in there from the 4th of July. He was like ah ha what's this and pushed my seats forward from inside the trunk. I was like uh that is my back seat. We were led to the beach area and told to show him where the cans were. We picked up the 6 cans. We were told we were being arrested for underage possession of beer and our vehicles towed and our licenses would be lost for 30 days. Another officer came and they talked and decided to let us off on a littering fine of $465. Here is the other part I question. When the officers were writing the tickets they had to ask the older officer who just arrived what code # (16-11-700) we violated. He replied that it was on the front of their book and that he already told them that. We were fined by the Department of Natural Resources in South Carolina. We were told we were on federal property. On my ticket it states I am to appear before Magistrate Patty Smith. My officer wrote my ticket only and he put a PO box as to where I am suppose to appear for court. This address is where to send the money to only. I asked about court and it seemed like they were blowing us off. He did tell me vague directions how to get to the court house in McCormick county. Their tickets do not require violators signatures.

I have done research on my own and have seen that underage posession of alcohol you can lose your license for 30 days or be put in jail. 16-11-700 states the minimum fine for a first time offender is $200 if the litter is under 15 pounds. If the fine is more is this determined by the officer? Or is there another statue I am missing? My friends and I am going to go to court....to pay the $465 fines each as we only received 10 days (9) to get the money. I am planning on going to sell my plasma to get about $70 this week to help get the money. We all received warnings for underage possession of beer. Could the court turn this into an actual penalty? (One of the reasons I am afraid to go to court). Any ideas on what I should do? Try to send in the money to avoid court.....or plead guilty and beg for forgiveness? Were the DNR officer right to search our vehicles and say they will bring in the dogs? (I had cigarettes.....Camels nothing more). I would appreciate your comments both negative and any helpful ideas. It was a stupid thing to do. Oh well, you live you learn.

Thanks.
 



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