LYING COP hit me with a 90+ TICKET

[FordSVTFan]

Originally posted by Boost on This
Hey All,

I need some advice on a speeding ticket I got last night that I plan to fight.

Short and simple.

1. Highway Patrol….one female and one young male.
2. Ticket for 90+ (they never clocked me).
3. I got on the freeway 110 N…from one on ramp to the next exit.. 90+ in a SHORT distance.

What was the distance? Since a stock 03 Cobra can run 12.4-12.7's and trap well into the 110's in 1320 ft, you could have easily hit 90+ within 1200 ft which is nothing.

HIGHWAY PATROL STORY.
The cop was chasing someone else from a 1/8 mile back. Then “HEARD ME” get on the freeway. And saw me pass the car they were pacing. That car was going about 80…according to them. So they derived to the conclusion that I was going about 90+

You passed a car being paced at 80mph, and based on their experience and training they estimated your speed at 92 mph. That is perfectly legal as part of the radar training is being able to estimate vehicle speed within 5 mph visually.

MY story:
I got on the freeway, just got the car back from the dealer, had them check out a rattle sound under WOT. It’s 1:50AM, (I don’t drink), I’m on an open freeway, and I stepped on it to check the car out. I never looked at my speedometer. I passed the HIGHWAY patrol’s suspect car that was already slowing down…. So I looked in my rear view and from 1/8 to 1/16 mile back I see this lights coming. So I let off, and look at my speedometer (70MPH). He pulls me over.

WOT for 12 seconds puts you at well over 100 mph!! And when you let off you were doing 70. Sounds like 90+ easily.

First the female talks to me.
Cop: Hi there, going a little fast there.
Me: yeah, sorry.
Cop: Have you been drinking?
Me: No officer, I don’t drink.
Cop: is this car yours?
Me: yes
Cop: your license and registration please.
Me: (gave her my license and told her the car was new, so I don’t have plates nor reg. card. But I pulled off the reg sticker from the window, and gave it to her. I told her that the dealer messed up with the VIN number of my car and had to re-process, which is why they’re delaying the registration….I was being TOO honest about everything…what do I get? TREATMENT like a suspect. They start checking out the car. Both officers goto work double checking the VIN number and the sticker and my Sales contract from the dealer, which I had in my glove compartment. Then she says hand tight.

Okay, so that is protocol. No problem there!!!

5 minutes later

The MALE cop comes back:
COP: I’m giving you a speeding citation.
Me: (looking at the ticket) I didn’t go over 90? Why does it say 90+
Cop: You were going over 90
Me: How did you derive to that number if you never paced me?
Cop: We were pacing the other car, when we saw that you actually passed the other suspect.
Me: So what speed do you think I was going?
Cop: Approximately 92 MPH
Me: So, you saw me do 92MPH?
Cop: We were pacing the other car, when we ‘HEARD’ you coming onto the freeway
Me: you heard me coming onto the freeway, huh? I saw you guys 1/8 mile back coming on fast…I believe you were going 90+ to catch up with the suspect and the suspect car slowed down when I passed him. I was not going 90+
Cop: just sign the red box, you’re not admitting guilt.

He used a known entity to derive your speed. He had paced another driver doing 80 mph and you passed him at a certain rate of travel and in his experience that equaled 12 mph more than the car he was pacing. Once again perfectly acceptable. And a judge uses common sense which says, if one car is traveling at 80 and another passes him matter of factly, they must be moving moderately faster.

So I signed it. I can’t believe I was so nice to the cops and this young buck guy decides to lying on the ticket to hit me with the highest number he can un-educatedly guess.

Anyone got any suggestions? I’m taking this one to court!

He didnt LIE!!! Where did he lie? You say you were at WOT! You say you passed a guy being paced at 80 mph. You finally say you only checked the speedo when you slowed and saw it said 70. So the officer has more facts and evidence then you do. He isnt lying. He is basing the charge on his experience and evidence.

Also for those saying to save this post thread as evidence, it is not evidence it is conjecture and hearsay and self serving, no judge in the world would consider it. Plus based on what you wrote you have proven the officers case for him.

Good luck, but I would approach the prosecuter and ask to plead guilty to a non point violation and pay the appropriate fines. If you look at the Donut Shop ticket FAQ it will help you.

 

[dataangel]

[1] Stop talking about the case online. Never do that.
[2] Never admit guilt. In fact, never say ANYTHING extraneous to an officer who pulls you over: you're not required to chit-chat or be a good friend. Just conduct yourself formally and comply with reasonable requests. Don't make it personal, even if the officer tries to go there first.
[3] Get a lawyer. A good one. Expect to pay between $300 - $400 for good representation. Yup, that means the ticket costs you double or more. You fight it for the insurance and the driving record.

If you do these things, the grand majority of the time driving infractions will not stick to you. As it turns out, most jurisdictions have a really hard time properly validating their evidence. Without proper evidence, the case is just dismissed.

Of course, you are morally responsible for your own actions. Personally, I see speed limits as fairly arbitrary constructs and don't feel that their violation necessarily rates as a moral conflict. Hypothetically, if I were doing 50 in a crowded neighborhood with lots of foot traffic (which I don't do), I would feel guilty of being socially irresponsible. However, if I were going 90+ on a 4 lane interstate in an appropriately equipped car with very little traffic, I wouldn't be so concerned about it. Of course, disaster could strike, but it could also easily strike at 65mph: driving a car is just inherently dangerous.

 

[trplblacksnake]

My brother got a reckless driving ticket about two months ago for running into a house after loosing control when he was going 35 in a 25 and swerved around a dog. We got a lawer that normally would cost 250 it ended up costing only 150 because we were good friends with his son. Anyway he got out of a 520 dollar 4 point ticket with driving school and 6 months probation. When I had the same ticket for just speeding (120 in a 45 I know :nono: I was racing) I was charged 300 bucks 6 months probation and if Im caught in 6 months I go to jail for 15 days. Needless to say next time Im paying the extra buck for a lawyer.

 

[KevinB120]

hey adam, "my friend" had one recently with an officers "guess". "he" was about 250 YARDS ahead of an unmarked expedition when "he" downshifted into fourth and accelerated from about 65 to im guessing mabye 90(not quite sure tho- i wasnt there). After about 120 passes down the quarter at 100-101 mph, "he" knows for a fact "he" didnt break 100. It was about 4 seconds of loud pedal to clear the pipes and backed off immediately- no traffic ahead 4 lane monster highway. "he" sees the exped turn on the lights (about 1/8 mile or better back now) and "he" pulls over, it takes him about 15-20 sec AFTER "HE" STOPPED to pull up behind "him". and he said "he" was "pulling away from him at 105". So "his" 13.8 sec car is no match for a tank that would be lucky to go from 60 to 100 in less then 20 seconds. That and he must of reflashed the 95 mph governor that 99 expeds have, go figure. Also, the expeds are not certified to exceed 65 miles per hour in this county, 6 officers confirmed that with "him" already. So should "he" fight the ticket or what???? Training or no training, there is NO POSSIBLE way he could of remotely guessed "his" speed, nor was it physically possible for him to reach 105 mph in the first place, he needed at least another mile or so to even try. "he" also noticed he wouldnt even make eye contact and only talked to "him" for a few seconds. "He" just sat there and said nothing, The entire stop only lasted about 6 minutes. I think "he" should fight this one, ya think?:dw:

disclaimer: this is an old, old story that my friends-brothers-neighbors friend told me and has nothing to do with any traffic infraction they or myself has either had or expecting to have a case for, all persons are fictictious and any resemblence to people living or dead are purly coincidental.

 

[Sonic Blue MN]

I think the cop's story is weak because he has no hard evidence that he was even pacing the other car. He pulls you over without any radar, and knows he can't substantiate that he paced you(you were entering the freeway) so, conveniently he says he was pacing the other car. Whether he is lying or not isn't the point. The point is that he has no hard empirical evidence to give you a ticket for 90. The fact is you were speeding, the police know you were speeding and so they pulled you over to see if you were drunk. He should have given you a warning. IMHO these two police officers gave you a ticket for the hell of it. What's the worst that can happen to them if you get out of the ticket? Not much.

 

[Boost on This]

guilt of speeding...not guilty of 90+

He was pacing the other car...not me.
I accelerated onto the freeway, saw him coming up, let off, looked at the guage..saw 70MPH. I don't think I can let off the throttle and drop 20+ MPH in a second.

Do I have a case to lower the the speed or fine?

 

[SonicVenum]

Originally posted by KevinB120
hey adam, "my friend" had one recently with an officers "guess". "he" was about 250 YARDS ahead of an unmarked expedition when "he" downshifted into fourth and accelerated from about 65 to im guessing mabye 90(not quite sure tho- i wasnt there). After about 120 passes down the quarter at 100-101 mph, "he" knows for a fact "he" didnt break 100. It was about 4 seconds of loud pedal to clear the pipes and backed off immediately- no traffic ahead 4 lane monster highway. "he" sees the exped turn on the lights (about 1/8 mile or better back now) and "he" pulls over, it takes him about 15-20 sec AFTER "HE" STOPPED to pull up behind "him". and he said "he" was "pulling away from him at 105". So "his" 13.8 sec car is no match for a tank that would be lucky to go from 60 to 100 in less then 20 seconds. That and he must of reflashed the 95 mph governor that 99 expeds have, go figure. Also, the expeds are not certified to exceed 65 miles per hour in this county, 6 officers confirmed that with "him" already. So should "he" fight the ticket or what???? Training or no training, there is NO POSSIBLE way he could of remotely guessed "his" speed, nor was it physically possible for him to reach 105 mph in the first place, he needed at least another mile or so to even try. "he" also noticed he wouldnt even make eye contact and only talked to "him" for a few seconds. "He" just sat there and said nothing, The entire stop only lasted about 6 minutes. I think "he" should fight this one, ya think?:dw:

disclaimer: this is an old, old story that my friends-brothers-neighbors friend told me and has nothing to do with any traffic infraction they or myself has either had or expecting to have a case for, all persons are fictictious and any resemblence to people living or dead are purly coincidental.

The way "you" told this story is "very" "annoying."

It's not exactly an Expo, but my '02 F-150 has gone 100.

 

[KevinB120]

Originally posted by SonicVenum
The way "you" told this story is "very" "annoying."

It's not exactly an Expo, but my '02 F-150 has gone 100.

hey it wasn't my story:thumbsup:

 

[05 Roush]

Originally posted by Boost on This
guilt of speeding...not guilty of 90+

He was pacing the other car...not me.
I accelerated onto the freeway, saw him coming up, let off, looked at the guage..saw 70MPH. I don't think I can let off the throttle and drop 20+ MPH in a second.

Do I have a case to lower the the speed or fine?

I think you have a good chance for getting it knocked down to nothing. How long did the incident last, like 5 seconds???

Never enter court without an attorney. Also, check your citation for any irregularities, such as incorrect address, location, and speed. Getting the citation thrown out will save you the court and attorney fees worth of insurance.

Play the game; everyone else does! At worst you would be looking at a minimal fine and a few points.

 

[LogiWorld123]

yawn.

 

[Silver 03 Cobra]

Get a lawyer. Do not defend this yourself. And as noted, keep your mouth shut when pulled and never volunteer info. They will write down anything you say and use it against you.

Pacing is inaccurate and I doubt most cops that pace people even have any idea how inaccurate they are. If I were to allow officers to pace someone, then they would have to be knowledgeable about what they are doing. What I've found in small towns and rural counties are overzealous cops that fly up on bumpers and then tell someone they paced them without traveling any distance to reduce any errors. I was given a ticket by a plain clothes deputy in an unmarked car. I knew he was an officer because it was a tan Crown Vic. I was sitting at a light at the bottom of a hell of a hill with about a 30 percent grade. I was in my black '99 Cobra with BBK headers that were pretty loud and 4.10 gears. When the light changed I took off like I usually do with my jack rabbit start. I never shifted over 4k rpm and when I got to 55 mph I shifted into fourth and settled the car to a little over 55 mph. By the time I looked back the officer had passed the car in the left lane and change into the lane behind me and threw on his lights. I pulled over. I asked the officer why he pulled me and he said, "I paced you going up that hill at 60 ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, 65 miles per hour". I told him I never got over 58 and he said he would argue with me in court. The distance to the top of the hill where the deputy threw on his lights was .25 miles. He wanted me to believe that he could pace me from a dead stop and get his car up to 60 mph and travel enough distance that he could match my speed with any accuracy. Bull shit. He couldn't even had gotten his heavy ass Vic up to 60 mph going up that hill. I exploded on this officer. I got out of the car and in his face and I stuck my finger right in his ear and I told him I'd beat that f'ing ticket. He got in his little patrol car and got the hell out of there as fast as he could. I got a lawyer. About one week later I passed him doing 50 mph in traffic in a 55 zone and he was hung up in the slow lane and he whipped over on my bumper and tailgated me for a mile. I'm talking 3 feet. I pulled into a obscure private side road to make an offer to the deputy that we could go in the woods and settle this like a couple of men but he went on his way. I filed a complaint against him that morning. That put an end to his harrassment. It turns out the lawyer I got, the DA and the deputy are all buddies. They wouldn't give me a break. The lawyer told me no way. I decided to take matters in my own hands. I went down and measured all the distances that were critical to this officer's judgement. I am an engineer and I wrote up a report based on the facts and numbers. I proved that he would have used up 90 percent of the distance we traveled just getting up to 60 mph. That left him about 130 feet to pace me and because he was hung up in traffic for a few seconds he was about 10 cars behind me. Anybody with any kind of judgement could tell that was total bull shit. I went even further. I proved that over 100 yards travel that if the officer was closing on me at 65 mph and I was going 58 mph he would have gained 1 car length on me in that distance. They were wanting me to believe his eyes were that accurate from 10 cars back he could tell he was not gaining on me one car length. I wrote up charts and posters with traffic displays. I went to the lawyers office and showed him my charts. He said it would do no good. I told him I was tired of his BS, the DA's BS and the deputy. I told him to go down and let them throw the book at me and then file an appeal and that I'd go to another county with my information to superior court with a fair judge and that I'd make that deputy look like a biased dumb ass. The next day he calls me and tells me the charge had been dropped. After the deputy pulled me I found out a lot about him. It turned out I worked with his son-in-law. His daughter hadn't spoken with him in five years. The deputies wife was in a wreck and was paralyzed. The deputy beat his wife while she was in a wheel chair. Deputies had been to his home many times over domestic disputes and he had fired his pistol through the roof of his home twice argiung with his wife. He and the sheriff were supsects in a lot of money that disappeared from the jail that was never proven. The deputy had filed for bankruptcy months before. Both are named in a racial harrassment law suit right now. The deputy had been involved in several fist fight after pulling motorist for moving vioulations and a few days after he pulled me a motorist beat the shit out of him and put him in the hospital. The DA that wouldn't give me a break was involved in a DUI hit and run. He preaded guilty, admitted he had a drug problem and siad he would take his punishment. His lisence was suspened but he could drive to work. He was caught a few weeks later at two in the morning in a part of town know for drugs. He was given a citation for driving with a suspened lisence. A few weeks later he rear ended a woman at a high rate of speed. He was given a citation for following too close and careless driving. Last November the voters of my county spoke and we voted the sheriff and the DA out of office. The sheriff in true democrat fashion protested the election and drug it out for four months before he conceded. I took great pride in being a part of that. I went around and campaigned for the man running against him and he won by about 700 votes. I'm sure a lot of people that had been run over by this department palyed a great deal in removing his ass. When the new Sheriff took office he called the deputy that pulled me in and fired his ass. The irony of it all was that I met this bastard heading back to the jail in the same spot this puke pulled me and I knew he was about to be fired because they announced an hour later his bosses final appeal fell through and he was out and I knew the new sheriff would shit can this chunk of dung. Later after the DA was kicked out of office he was caught stealing county property. A few weeks after that he tried to break into the home of an ex-girl friend and he assaulted her and broke a finger and when the police arrived he had a concealed weapon. The man went nuts and he's in a mental hospital right now.

I was in my home town a year ago in my 01 Cobra and had a policeman fly up on my ass and pull me in a similar incident although he had to turn out of a side road to get behind me. The road I was on was a cut through road about three tenths long. He told me he paced me going 53 mph in a 35. I told him that the road was 55 ace. He said it was 35 and I was going to be cited. I knew it was BS and I wasn't going to pay another lawyer for some dumb ass idiot that doesn't know the law. I flew up his ass. I was prepared to take it to the next level. He called one of his buddies for back up. He then had him go down and check the speed. I was right. He said it used to be 35 mph. I can take an officer making a mistake like that but two things really pissed me off. One, I was only going 40 mph. He was off by 13 mph. Secondly, when he handed me my lisence he told me to slow down. ****ing jerk. I was 15 mph below the speed limit. He just didn't like my car and the sound it makes. He just assumed I was speeding. Here's a guy that will cite someone for guessing. I also wondered if that had been somebody out of town that didn't know the speed limits or some older person, they would have been rung up. But, they probably would have been pulled unless they were driving a sports car. I have been harrassed by these bastards when they were out of town going somewhere. I have passed them doing 60 in a 55 more than 10 miles out of their jurisdiction and they whip over on my ass and tailgate me and they can't do nothing. Five over the speed limit and they're f'ing with me out of their jurisdiction. Mark and I had one follow us five miles out of town when we were both driving our 03's through town 15 mph below the speed limit and we started f'ing with him and made a few turns and cutoffs and got him pinned up in a service station and then we pulled in on him and walked righ up to his car. We had made enough moves that he knew we knew he was f'ing with us and that we had him pinned that he was going to have to talk some crap to keep us from making a complaint. He started studdering and making small talk about our cars and then he said he'd never be able to afford one. Bingo. He just thought we were going to race and we made a fool out of him. People speed through town and do double the posted 20 mph speed limit and pass me like I'm sitting still and run lights like they were going out of style and they are frigging with us for nothing other than the cars we drive. There are wrecks here more than I've seen in any other area I've lived. Just the other day I saw a five car chain wreck. I haven't never seen this before. A few of the cars were actually sitting on top of each other like a stack of flap jacks. There was an SUV, mini van and a few cars like Tauruses. These are the people the cops should be after instead of Mark and I. I had a clean record for over five years, never get more than 5 over the posted speed limit, I stop at every stop sign and never run a traffic light. I haven't had much trouble in the 03 I guess since it's siver instead of the black and yellow Cobras I owned. I know the cops and deputies in this area got whacked by the state and they have calmed down a lot.

You can beat this ticket. If the officers were about 1/8 mile back and the guy they were pacing let off just as you caught their attention, then you could have passed him by at less speed than they were pacing the guy. Them admitting your exhaust caught their attention means they did not note the car they were pacing. Pacing is so inaccurate it's pathetic and I'm sure 20-30 percent of the people written up were unjustly cited and more than half were written up on a half assed guesstimate.

 

[Sailing2Smth]

Damn, is your name Dr. Cobra or something?

 

[Dana]

Silver03,

Pacing is so inaccurate it's pathetic and I'm sure 20-30 percent of the people written up were unjustly cited and more than half were written up on a half assed guesstimate.

Care to elaborate on where you derived those awesome statistics from?

BTW, pacing is done with a certified calibrated speedometer. All police package squad cars are equipped with them from the factory.
Pacing is not rocket science.
Anyone can learn to do it correctly and is just as accurate as any other method.
Pacing is accepted by most, if not all, courts as an acceptable method to determine the speed of a vehicle.

The above speaks to the technique, not its implementation by a particular individual. There are incompetent people in every field.

Dana

 

[Silver 03 Cobra]

Guesstimate. If cops in my area do it then surely I can. Seriously, I'm talking in my area or a lot of small communities or rural counties. I doubt an officer from a town with a population of 500 people has the proper training and I highly doubt they calibrate their cars. Even if they did, if you read my post I don't think any trained state trooper would give someone a ticket for 5-10 mph over the speed limit when they paced them over 100 yards. It can't be done. You and I can go to that same hill and at 100 doallrs a pop I'll bet you you can't hit my speed 5 out of 10 times and then you'd be guessing. As I said above, a one car length error at a speed around 60 mph over 100 yards is 5 mph. If you are 10 cars back you can't do it even over 200 yards. Nobody's eyes are that good. When I had my eyes tested for flight school in the Navy they told me I had some of the best eyes they have ever tested. I can gauge and see things most people can't. I've been on a golf course and can read a flag or tell what color a flag is when everybody else says they can't even see the flag. I can spot deer or quail when others are saying I'm full of crap only to see I'm right. I have tried to follow people and see over short distance if I could gauge my speed to theirs over a short distance. I couldn't with any accuracy that I'd hang a ticket on someone. If I held my speed once I gauged theirs then over a 1/4 mile I realized I was gaining or losing. Now if someone was going 20-30 over the speed limit I could accept it. Then the error rate is greatly reduced. I am talking about officers in small towns with little or no training. I have never had any trouble with state troopers and I know a few and since I met one with a 99 Cobra and he talked to me about my 03 I have them waving at me all the time. I work just down from the jail. They have three unmarked cars. Two CV'c and one Bonnieville. I have personally watched the guy in the Bonnieville run down several cars that I know he paced because he doesn't have radar. There is no way in hell he could have paced some of these cars. True, he may not have pulled them for speeding but I bet he did. He just saw a car ahead passing others on a 4-lane and ran up on their ass and guessed their speed. I've watched him pull a girl before he got fired last year. I saw him coming out of the jail and he ramped on the 4-lane. The girl passed me just before he got on the road. He saw her and flew up on her ass and pulled her. At not one single second did he pace her. He was guessing. He pulled me oneday in my truck. I didn't use it very much and a friend needed a refrigerator hauled so I helped him. My tag was expired. I saw this deputy in the right lane stopped at a light as I approached in the left lane. I was praying he wouldn't see it. Sure enough he comes up on me and pulls me. I was in the wrong. He tells me my tag was expired and I was running 63 mph. What a boat load of shit. I never got over 55 mph. I'll tell you the truth, it is scary that some of these idiots are out on the road. As I was sitting their a city cop pulls behind me and get s out with he pistol drawn standing behind his door. I'm like WTF. Then the deputy comes up sliding by the side of my truck with his hand on his gun and asks me to get out of the truck. He tells me I have a stolen tag that's registered to a woman with a Fiero. I told him he was wrong and run it again. He put's me in a car and goes and talks on the radio and then comes back. He lets me out of the car and tells me it came back the same way but he's writing me a ticket for a expired tag :shrug: . He just made a mistake and he was embarrased that he called the policeman out for back up. He would have never let me drive off with the tag on another car. Like I said, all those criminals were voted out of office or fired by the new sheriff. It's funny because to a man they all said they would quit if a new sheriff was elected. Not a one quit. They all had to be fired and the sheriff had to be removed kicking and screaming.

 

[time2train]

Silver03,

I agree with your frustrations. I was employed at a fairly large Country Sheriffs department for a period of time. I left law enforcement because of all the hypocrites that I worked with. One time, at a Christmas party, I witnessed many deputies leaving the party 3 sheets to the wind, some even getting in their scout cars and driving home, these were seargents, lieutenants, and captains. It was more than I could stand. I was younger back then and scared to confront anyone, because I thought I would be known as the rat, and didn't want the stress in my life at that time.

I know there are better departments than others, I just think there should be organizations where citizens are policing the police. For Example, when a scout car fly's by you, breaking the speed limit, just to end up at the drive-thru at McDonalds. I know we have all seen these types of scenarios too often.

 

[SVTBlackBolt]

Man i've gotten 2 tickets for going over 100...one said 108..the other said 100+...I got court costs for both of them...and they got thrown out..

But the last one i got was 85 in a 70...and all the cars around me were going just as fast..actually i was behind the oack..regardless i got pulled over...by his tone i thaught he was going to let me off...he didnt...i just had to pay court cost..but they were 280!!!ohh well i try not to speed...but its funny the times i get caught is in the middle of nowhere on highways:shrug:


I have gotten let off though several times...so it evens out i guess

 

[Silver 03 Cobra]

time2train, ironic you should say that. I work with a guy that was a deputy for the past sheriff and he told me about their Christams parties and how they would drive home drunk and he told me about one that would show up drunk once and awhile. He said that was the reason he quit. It finally caught up with that sheriff. I read the other day that out of all the elected officials whether it is on a city, local, county, state or the federal level, the one that is hardest to unseat is sheriff. This sheriff was on his third term.

I don't hate cops. I hate small town cops and rural counties where some of these guys are just looking to break someone's balls or have fun because of what they drive.

 

[Boost on This]

Based on the facts, do I have an arguement to determine that the officer didn't properly guess my speed?

Here are some usable cues:
1. Cop was pacing someone else at 80MPH...but I saw him speeding up fom.
2. Cop speed up to catch up to me
3. Cop says he 'HEARD' me coming
4. Cop says I passed the other vechicle.... I did...which is how he guesses that I went over 80 MPH. The paced suspect car slowed down as I speed up to him.


Any suggestions?

 

[stevieb]

Given #4 you just convicted yourself. If the judge is nice he might reduce it to 80 then. Next case!

 

[Sonic Blue MN]

Boost, in order to avoid court, you may want to contact the DA, or County attorney, and discuss your case before you go to court. Because the police officer's case is very weak, the prosecuter will probably reduce it to a slap on the wrist. If you can do this with a small fine and no effect on your driving record, it may be worth it.

I think the police officer's case is weak because he has no way to prove he was pacing the other car. Even if the court accepts the officer's word that he was pacing the other car. The police still have to prove your speed by in what amounts to be a "snapshot in time" because he didn't pace you long enough. The other vehicle could certainly have slowed down right before you entered the scene. In order for the state to prevail, the state has to show that the officer paced you, or both of the cars for a sufficient peroid of time to estimate your speed. Odviously, if he could show this, he would say he paced you, not this other car.