MIP/ticket wrote wrong

[amylyn231]

I am 19 years old, from Michigan and I currently received an MIP. When I was questioned the police officer was swearing at me and also forced a PBT test on me. When I received the ticket it was it was a civil infraction and that I would have to pay the fine off in ten days. When I called the court house they told me I would have to appear in court, which I had assumed. Is there any way to get out of the ticket or fight it for the simple fact he didn't write out the ticket correctly?

 

[quincy]

Unless the ticket has a material error (one which is essential to the understanding of the ticket), it will not be dismissed.

If you merely pay the fine, you will have a misdemeanor on your record.

If this is your first offense, you will want to ask for the diversion program, which allows for the dismissal of the charges after successfully completing the terms of the program during a 6 month probationary period. Some courts in some counties in Michigan, however, will not offer the diversion program and, unless you can successfully fight the MIP, you will wind up with a misdemeanor on your record. In these counties, you would be wise to have an attorney go with you to court.

If you qualify for and are offered diversion, you will be required to perform some community service, attend alcohol education classes, pay some fines, and refrain from committing any other offense during the probationary period. If you satisfy all of the terms of your diversion program within the probationary period, the MIP will be dismissed and discharged and there will be no public record of your MIP and you will not have to report the MIP on job or college applications (although the Secretary of State and law enforcement will still have a non-public record of it).

If you violate any of the terms of probation, the misdemeanor will be entered - and this will affect your travel to Canada, and can affect college financial aid packages and scholarships, and can affect employment opportunities.

I suggest you take your ticket to an attorney in your area for a review, and go over all of the facts surrounding the issuance of the MIP ticket. An attorney is not always necessary for MIPs, but an attorney is definitely an advantage if you want to fight the ticket or if you want to avoid having a misdemeanor on your record (which, again, is a real possibility in some counties).