Pelican Parts Forums

When I went to court over a ticket for supposedly running a red light I had to sit through about 3 other cases before mine came up. Here in OKC the prosecutor asks the officer the same basic questions stating where he was and if he had full view of you during your infraction. I noticed on all the cases before me the defendants did NOT question the officer when given the opportunity after the prosecutor did his bit. Then the defendant was given the opportunity to state their case. It was immediately a question of the cops word versus the defendant. On a couple of the cases the Judge even asked questions of the defendant during the defendants opportunity to speak that made the defendant look like an idiot.

When it was my turn, when given the opportunity I asked everything I could think of to have the police officer place my car entering the intersection under a red light. A car even went through the intersection behind me. And I asked about it. I even asked what I said to the officer when he talked to me questioning his incorrect answer several times. The officer obviously wasn't used to or prepared for me to ask so many questions and gave conflicting answers. After a while I just kind of stood there looking confused. Finally the Judge asked if I was through. I said "Well, I guess so, but it's only because I and kind of confused about his answers." The PROSECUTOR immediately dropped the charges, then leaned over to the officer and whispered "You contradicted yourself." Honestly the light was green when I entered the intersection, then changed to yellow almost immediately, then red before I could clear the intersection, and I was going the speed limit. I was prepared to give evidence of the length of the intersection and how long the yellow light lasted and how you could be going the speed limit and not be able to clear the intersection. I was questioning the officer to try to get him to tell where I was when his light changed to green, and when my light turned red (which he couldn't have seen). That way I could argue the timing of the light. But didn't have to.

Maybe you could do something like this with the placement of the end 55 zone thing. Is the ticket for 68 in a 65 or 68 in a 55? Big difference. If for 68 in a 65 you have already lost.

When I was going to college I drove through Edmond to get my paycheck cashed. The officer gave me a ticket for 30 in a school zone (20 back then). The regular speed limit for that area was 35. The school zone sign was actually hidden behind an overgrown evergreen tree. The officer was going to take my license if I didn't follow him to the town hall and pay the ticket. I told him I was going to the bank to cash my paycheck and I could only pay the ticket after cashing the check.

I got a police escort to the bank then to Edmond town hall. I explained the hidden sign, the fact I was going 5mph under the regular limit, and there wasn't a child in sight. He told gave me this Edmond was a bedroom community and they want the kids to be safe BS and that I would have to pay the fine. I pulled the fresh wad of cash in the bank envelope out of my pocket and offered it to the judge and said, "Here, you might as well just take all my money while you are at it." He got pissed and told me if I said another word he would put me in jail. I didn't say another word, but I did look down at my feet and shook my head disgustedly. It was all I could do to keep from calling the Judge and police officer crooks with their hidden school zone sign scam.