Help me please. I'm LOST.

ok. i'm in mississippi. i got a ticket here right after i turned 16. i'm 19 now, and got stopped at a driver's license check point. the guy ran my license and said it was suspended for "failure to appear". i had known then that i had a ticket, but never got anything to go to court, and i never received anything saying i should pay them an amount, and i never got anything saying my license was to be suspended. my address has been the same for almost five years, and i've renewed my license - twice - since then. i had just assumed the cop was being nice and never turned it in... or something... and the ticket was gone. does this sound fishy? i go to court on monday. please help me. can i fight this? is there a statute of limitation? or something saying that you have to notify someone that they can't drive anymore - to avoid embarrassing arrests-?? anything?

The problem is that you chose to ignore the ticket. And Guess what? It did not go away. Driving is a privilege not a right. You have to follow the rules or you lose. When you signed the ticket, that was a promise to appear. You needed to do the follow up. I suggest when you get into court you do a lot of crying, say you were wrong and you are prepared to do what it takes to clear up your record- pay fines, community service, whatever.... and try to negotiate the best deal you can get.

Misisisppeeee

Ok if you actually looked at the ticket ..i guess you can read...

The court date was right there on it. Thats how its done all over America.

OH you were notified by mail, to the address on your drivers license.

If you moved they cannot Legally foward the mail.no kiding if it says "Do not foward" the post office cannot do it!

Or else someone at that address tossed in in the garbage thinking it was junk mail.

I was living at the address (and still am) on my driver's license. I just think they should have notified me.

i'm ok with paying the first ticket. I don't want to pay the "driving without a license" tickets.

Information is on the back of the ticket. Instead of throwing it away you should have taken time to read it. States do not forward a letter to your residence stating that your license is suspended, atleast they do not in my state. A person should know if they got a ticket and paid it or not. "Thought the officer was being nice and didn't turn it in"? I can't believe this one. If the officer scratched a ticket out four you, i guarantee he/she is going to turn it in.

dabear
one thing when i was 16 i got a ticket for no seat belt ( i wasn't driving) and the officer told me that they would send me a paper in the mail when my court date was because i was still a minor...then again he said i would have to go to court no matter what but when i got the paper i just had to send in the fine...there was never a date on the ticket for when i had to show up...the could have done the same thing with anniela but forgot to send her anything mistakes do happen....

Well you have a defense, you lived there and never moved so you want to the motor vehicle to prove that sent you a notice of suspension, most states will send it certified mail to prove someone signed for it.

Bascically you should tell the judge you will plead guilty and pay the fine if he motor vehicles can prove they sent you a suspension notice and it was recieved. And since you had your license renewed twice, this was a computer error,and should be dismissed and your record cleared.

thanks everyone... you never know how the laws are in mississippi. they're pretty backwards here. that's why i did this thing. i'm from nevada/california... where its at least semi normal.

Kittyscorpio, I know people make mistakes. Like not reading the back of a ticket. As far as your seatbelt ticket, what are you talking about? Tell you what don't answer, I don't want to spend to much time on this post.

I'm NOT a Lawyer, but YOU NEED to talk to a LAWYER ASAP.

The law is LEGAL, NOT logical.

There are parts of your story that do NOT make sense and you may be jumping to conclusions. You say you renewed your license TWICE and they did NOT tell you it was suspended. That does NOT make sense.

In this day of increased IDENTITY theft and computerized records checks, maybe someone who knows you got stopped and gave your name and birthday, and said I do NOT have my drivers license, and I can't remember my number. The cop soundexes your name or uses your birthday, and that number is pulled up and put on the ticket.

The impersonator does NOT show up for court, so usually a bench warranty is issued and your driver's license is canceled by your sate or a compact with another state for a ticket that you did NOT even get.

Thus, find out what ticket and all the details. It may be by someone who stole your identity.

We had a man who was arrested for failure to appear and arrested on Easter Sunday. He spent 4 days in jail, before his lawyer got them to check the booking photo on the man who impersonated him, and then failed to appear.

You're lucky that they did NOT arrest you and make you bail out of jail, and impound your car. Many states do that when they arrest a person driving on a suspended license. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS OFFENSE.

Be very careful when you go to court and don't cry or laugh it off.

Try to get as much information on the suspension and ticket before court and take a cab or get a driver to get to court. Many states will have a record that the tag agent can print up for about $10 that usually just goes back 3 years. That might be helpful, or the court clerk might be helpful.

Good luck.
E-mail me to what happens. Getting your license reinstated can involve a great deal of paperwork and expense too. This also varies from state to state.

[JOHN BUCKNER]

Hello I can understand your frustration of not being notified about the traffic ticket. I must tell you this though, that once a driver is issued a traiffic citation, it is up to them to look at the citation and know by this that they must appear in court on that date...or you may even call the court in most cases and request a diffrent date or even more time if needed. the courts generally will work with you.

the courts do not have an obligation of reminding you of your appearance date, and will usually suspend your license or even enter a warrant if you do not contact the court.

I have seen many traffic court cases and from what I am understanding you would be better off to pay the fines and fees to get the license taken care of, and be on your way. If you hire a Lawyer to defend you in this case, then in my opinion you not only lose the case but be out more money.

Im sure that you have heard the old saying, being ignorant is no excuse of the law. it still applies. good luck.