93 in a 55, and Wreckless Operation

[brodyaga2010]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?
Michigan

Alright, I live in live in Michigan, and have a Michigan drivers license. I just came back from a youth convention in NY, and it is going to be a very expensive one for me. I got a ticket on the way there and on the way back. Here is the story: There were four other cars that I was going with. On the way there, I had to go on an exit, because of a bathroom emergency. But I called my friends and told them to keep going, because I will catch up later. So after the bathroom, I was driving fairly fast to catch and ended up getting pulled over for 93 in a 55. This was in Pennsalvania...... On the way back basically the samething happened. We all were at a service plaza in Ohio taking a little break from driving. I had to wait for my sister while she was in the bathroom, and I didn't want everbody else waiting so I told them that I am gona catch up with them... and yes I got pulled over again. The speed limit was 65, and I was doing 100. It was around 6 in the morning and it had just rained. The cop was super pissed at me and gave me a ticket for wreckless operation and other juvenile trans??? offender (i cant read the last letters of this word due to cop's bad handwritting).
Well, I am going to pay the Pennsalvania ticket, because its only 201 bucks. But I don't know what to do about the Ohio situation. The cop gave me the ticket and said to call in for a court date. I have no idea on what to do... should I hire a lawyer and try to fight the the ticket, fight the ticket myself, or should I just plead guilty. My other question is... How many points will I get for these tickets, and will I even have a license after this due to the fact that I got it around 3 month ago, and am 17 years of age. These were my first two tickets.
So what are your advices guys?
Thanks...
Viktor
PS... and does anybody know a good lawyer from Michigan that I could hire if I needed one.

[loulblades]

Wow...that's some serious stuff.

I don't know how Michigan would look at the ticket from PA but if you were convicted here, since you are under 18, that would be a hearing and suspension.

I am not sure I would be so quick to "just pay". You might want to see if you can plead down cause "only 201 bucks" is just the beginning, I suspect. But I don't know the level of cooperation between MI and the other states.

Good luck cause u r gonna need it.

[brodyaga2010]

Yes, thats exactly what the cop from PA said. He said that if I had a PA license then that would be an automatic 15 day suspension on the spot. But it actually is just $201. It actually says that on the tickets for total due. So ya. Got lucky there, but don't know about the Ohio situation.

[Curt581]

Originally Posted by brodyaga2010

But I don't know what to do about the Ohio situation. The cop gave me the ticket and said to call in for a court date.

Do so. You're going to have to appear in court if you don't want a warrant for your arrest issued. When you go, you could ask to have the ticket reduced in exchange for a guilty plea. I suggest you take whatever they offer. You're in no position to argue.

should I hire a lawyer and try to fight the the ticket, fight the ticket myself, or should I just plead guilty.

A lawyer may be your best option. He might be able to save your license. It's gonna cost you quite a bit.

As in: Don't count the dollar bills, it'll be quicker if you just weigh them.

My other question is... How many points will I get for these tickets, and will I even have a license after this due to the fact that I got it around 3 month ago, and am 17 years of age.

You'll have to contact Michigan DOT for that. Each state is different.

PS... and does anybody know a good lawyer from Michigan that I could hire if I needed one.

You don't need a Michigan lawyer, you need an Ohio lawyer. Having a lawyer from your state travel to Ohio for this would increase your costs exponentially.

[lwpat]

The first thing to do is to come clean with your parents. You are in serious trouble and trying to hide it will only make it worse.

DO NOT just pay the ticket. It will show up at insurance renewal and will be guaranteed to set off the smoke alarms in your house. Also do not wait to get help. You will need time to arrange for a lawyer in Ohio and possibly in PA and then they will need time to decide the best course of action. The timing may also be important so you might want to get one ticket over with and delay the other.

It would help to know the exact statute numbers of the various tickets.

[loulblades]

But it actually is just $201. It actually says that on the tickets for total due.

Isn't it nice of PA to put the fine and costs right on the ticket? I think that is so they get the money as soon as possible. They even do that for us PA citizens. You must return the ticket in 10 days with your money. If you add an extra $6 you can plead not guilty which will give you about a month to determine if you want to fight, try to plead it down or just pay it. At worst, you would be out the $6.

I shall digress a bit. When I was 17 (30 some years ago) I received my first PA ticket. I paid the amount on the ticket, without telling my parents, figuring it would just go away. Of course they found out when the license suspension notice and a note from the insurance company arrived.

I don't know the level of cooperation between MI and the other states (although PA and OH seem pretty tight) but I doubt that just paying the fines will make this go away. For certain not the insurance issue. I would call an attorney and find out. First consultation is usually free.

[brodyaga2010]

Yes, getting a court date in PA would be very nice in deed. But the fact is that I live all the way in Michigan and it is a long ways away. And my parents already know about these two tickets, and let me tell you..... they are pissed. So I don't know if getting an attorney and going all the way to PA, which is about 7 hours of driving is really worth it. As for anybody that is wondering, I violated Section 3362, Sub Section A2 in PA.
Now, about the Ohio ticket. I called the court house number that the cop gave me. And I spoke to the Juvenile clerk. She said that she hasn't recieved my ticket yet, but since I have to schedual a court date and I live in Michigan, she can just send me the court fees and the ticket fees if I don't want to show up in court. Which is total crap, because I do need to show up and try to fight the ticket. And then I also asked her what the fine would be.... she said that she wasn't sure, but somewhere around $120. Sounds redicoulsly small to me, but is that about right, or she just doesn't know what she is talking about. Because I mean, it says wreckless operation on my ticket, and I was thinking that it would be alot more than that. And as for the Ohio ticket, its says ORC 4511.20 and also ORC 2152 02. Also for the remarks. The cop wrote Pace SP-147 100MPH. I know what everything means, but whats does "SP-147" mean? And if I do schedual a court date for the Ohio ticket, what would be the best way to go around and try to fight it, as in what should I tell the judge, and all that junk.
Well, wish me luck people. Cuase I think I am in deep doo-doo.

[loulblades]

Just read some info that 2 states will assess points for out of state tickets (MI and GA). From what I can ascertain (and I was just skimming the net out of curiousity) you are most likely to get a suspension out of pleading guilty to either ticket. Again I think your best bet is to contact an attorney for some advice.

As far as what to say to a judge, no excuse will work (at least none I know of). You have to approach from a technical standpoint. If you are not able to plead down, there are many sites regarding fighting your ticket (not all good but some are). This is one of my favorites

[url]www.BeatMySpeedingTicket.com[/url]

PA has a good bit of case law regarding use of radar (guessing it was radar) so there are many procedures that must be adhered to regarding calibration, training, etc.

[brodyaga2010]

I also have a question of wheather those points will transfer to Michigan.... becuase I have an uncle who was also speeding in PA, but he never got those points on his lincense. Or did he just get lucky?

[loulblades]

I am under the suspicion that MI (as used in my last post) is abbrev. for Michigan .

[Curt581]

Originally Posted by brodyaga2010

The cop wrote Pace SP-147 100MPH. I know what everything means, but whats does "SP-147" mean?

This is an educated guess, but I think it means you were paced using State Patrol (SP) fleet vehicle (squad car) # 147.

That's so that he knows which speedometer calibration records to bring to court if it comes down to it.

I also have a question of wheather those points will transfer to Michigan

That's why I told you to contact Michigan DOT in a previous post. It helps if you actually read the answers you're given.