Infraction Ticket for 21453(D) CVC RED LIGHT

Infraction Ticket for 21453(D) CVC RED LIGHT
Jurisdiction/Place: USA - California

Alright:

So I was walking across the street as the light adjacent from me turned yellow then red. As I was maybe 1/4th to 1/2 into the walk the walk sign turned to WALK and I crossed. I was then stopped by a police officer for j walking, otherwise noted as 21453(D) on my citation. However as the officer and I were chatting (and having a funny conversation at that) he said, "Remember, If I don't show up at court your ticket will be dismissed." Further more he circled both Thursday and Friday as the date of the ticket even through it was dated as 7/30/10. And at the bottom of the ticket under my date/time to appear it is listed as 10/7/10 with a line through the 'TIME' section of the citation.

My first question is does the circling of both Thursday and Friday or -T and F - on the ticket or the fact that there is no time on my 'date to appear' warrant for a dismissal due to a ticketing error? If not, I am a student and can barely afford board and room as is, and I need to find another way to handle this ticket, is there a way to go about it that I can somehow 'pay' off the citation without literally shelling out money? With the latest 5% increase in the CSU fees and my book prices increase I wouldn't even know where to begin to earn enough money to keep myself in school, and even moreso successful in it.


Furthermore, yes I realize I crossed illegally whether it be at the start of the walk or at the end, but the point is I'm a good college student that has never been convicted of anything, and maintains a 3.2 in college while working full time to pay for myself. I just need to find a way to satisfy the judicial system without harming my education. What other options do I have?

Thanks for all your help.

Bryant

Your total of fines, fees and assessments should come to about $173. There will be little flexibility in the amount the court can make you pay since the base fine is only $25.

You will probably be notified as to the time to appear, but I would read the ticket entirely as their are likely instructions on the back. You can probably check with the court as to the times to appear. But, I would certainly appear on 10/7/10 as instructed. And, no, the lack of a time, or a wide circle encompassing a T and an F are NOT grounds for dismissal.

You can attend court and hope the officer does not show up. You can also aggressively cross examine the officer if he does show up and see if he can articulate where he was, how he saw you, what he saw you do, etc. If he has a foggy memory, maybe he will not recall. You should also bring your checkbook with you just in case.

Thanks, couple more questions. If the base fine is 25 why would it come out to 170ish?

Also what are the odds of them granting me an alternative way to pay off the ticket such as community service?

Slybone said:

Thanks, couple more questions. If the base fine is 25 why would it come out to 170ish?

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In short, the state has tacked on all manner of fees and assessments to cover victim's funds, court costs, ad nauseum. Your local court may be slightly higher or lower as that dollar amount comes from the state's recommended bail and fine schedule and does not mandate that courts establish a low base fine - and some of the fees and assessments are based upon the base fine.

Also what are the odds of them granting me an alternative way to pay off the ticket such as community service?

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I honestly do not know. It is my understanding that community service is rarely (if ever) available for traffic citations, but I hesitate to say that this is never an option. Some courts will allow a payment plan or allow for a delay in full payment to give you a little time to scrape together the money.