Wyoming Speeding Ticket.

[Frank Slide]

What is the name of your state? Utah / Wyoming

I received a Wyoming speeding ticket for allegedly going 79 in a 65 zone. The ticket is $72.00.

According to the ticket I violated statute W.S. 31-5-301 (b)(iv).

Statute W.S. 31-5-1201 (d)(ii) states what the fine should be. According to my calculations, the ticket should be $52.00. What is the extra $20.00 for? Assessed court costs? Why would I be assessed court costs if I choose to just pay and not fight? Shouldn't court costs only be assessed if I decide to go to court?

Also, the ticket says to pay by money order or cashiers check only (no cash or personal check). I am considering sending $72.00 in pennies via the post office. Yes, the postage would be outrageous, but I may as well make them earn their court costs. Can they legally refuse to accept the pennies as payment?What is the name of your state?

 

[seniorjudge]

Q: What is the extra $20.00 for? Assessed court costs? Why would I be assessed court costs if I choose to just pay and not fight? Shouldn't court costs only be assessed if I decide to go to court?

A: Yes, it sounds like court costs. There are court costs whether you plead guilty or not guilty or whether you show up and pay or mail in and pay.


Q: Also, the ticket says to pay by money order or cashiers check only (no cash or personal check). I am considering sending $72.00 in pennies via the post office. Yes, the postage would be outrageous, but I may as well make them earn their court costs. Can they legally refuse to accept the pennies as payment?

A: Yes. There is no requirement for the government to accept cent pieces in payment of any debt.

 

[colourfastt]

What is the name of your state? Utah / Wyoming

I received a Wyoming speeding ticket for allegedly going 79 in a 65 zone. The ticket is $72.00.

According to the ticket I violated statute W.S. 31-5-301 (b)(iv).

Statute W.S. 31-5-1201 (d)(ii) states what the fine should be. According to my calculations, the ticket should be $52.00. What is the extra $20.00 for? Assessed court costs? Why would I be assessed court costs if I choose to just pay and not fight? Shouldn't court costs only be assessed if I decide to go to court?

Also, the ticket says to pay by money order or cashiers check only (no cash or personal check). I am considering sending $72.00 in pennies via the post office. Yes, the postage would be outrageous, but I may as well make them earn their court costs. Can they legally refuse to accept the pennies as payment?What is the name of your state?

The court costs are due when you either choose to go before the judge or just plead guilty and pay the citation. (FYI ... when you receive a citation, you have been 'arrested', so if you ever have to answer that question on an application and have a traffic ticket the answer is YES)

Second, any business (in this case, the court) can define what forms of payment it will accept. If you do, foolishly, choose to send cash (the pennies) then one of two things may happen: 1) the clerk may set it aside as non-payment, in which case if you don't appear in court then the judge may issue an arrest warrant for failure to appear; 2) the judge may decide that the form of payment constitutes 'contempt of court' and again issue an arrest warrant.

 

[Frank Slide]

Contempt of Court

I am not concerned about an arrest warrant or contempt of court as I am not a resident of Wyoming and rarely travel there.

My only concern is the fact that I live in a Nonresident violator Compact state.

 

[racer72]

I am not concerned about an arrest warrant or contempt of court as I am not a resident of Wyoming and rarely travel there.

My only concern is the fact that I live in a Nonresident violator Compact state.

You should be. My brother in law spent 14 days in the Lewis County, Washington jail over an arrest warrant for an unpaid ticket from Chino, California. It cost him over $200 to get out of jail and another $350 or so for the towing and storage of his vehicle. Once or twice a month we get someone to these forums because they were busted for an out of state warrant or a more common problem, their driver's license has been suspended because of the out of state warrant.

Something else that can cause the higher ticket is local penalties added to the state fine amount. Many cities and states have local chargeups that are added to traffic violation citations.