And where are all these RE:WANTED things coming from?

I can relate. I got my first ever speeding ticket last August racing to the Farmers Market in Carrboro to pick up one last thing. . . . .

Of course DH was with me. He didn't let me forget that for awhile. :)

Oh that's terrible!

How awful, I'm really sorry to hear this. Here, once an officer starts to write a ticket, there is no turning back. So if the ticket was written before he got out of the car no amount of pleading or explaining would change the ticket. Good luck trying to get it removed or reduced - sometimes pleading works there.

BTW somehow I think ivillage thinks this is like a seed or plant cutting exchange. If you look on the garden forums all their exchange pages relate to looking for or offering seeds or cuttings. It's an inappropriate concept here on the CF.

Lee

What a bummer! Plead, plead your case! Tell the judge what you were doing and why! Maybe he'll take pity! Good luck!

Here if you contest a ticket and the officer does not come to the hearing you win by default. But if the officer does come and you lose you have to pay the court fees as well. I once got out of a ticket even though the officer did come.

DH once did not agree we should buy a lamp I liked and the next day he got a ticket for the price of the lamp. I told him he should have said he was saving up for a ticket, the lamp was nicer though.

I am sure your swap partner will love the package, and feel guilty as well.

-Robin

I agree. I think you should go to the hearing and calmly explain what you were doing -- you left a driver in the car and put no one at risk for anything. The world has gone crazy when you get fined that kind of money for a stop when someone was in the car.

Adele ((( granjan )))

My swap partner better not feel guilty. It's the rest of you I blame because you make this site so addicting.

I'll have to find out about court costs, that could make it worse.

Adele, if the motor was running the car was not "parked". Fight it and bring the judge a cake when you explain about the cooking forum.

There ya go, Peppi has a good idea. Bring him a cake. The fine for bribery is probably much less than the parking ticket. ;)

LOL lori!

Janet, that's a bummer!

I finally bought a new car this yr after my attachment to my 89 Saab was overpowered by my DD's saying ..mom it's almost an antique:(

I bought a little Mazda 3..and was on duty ..on a Wintry Sunday morn..but went anyways..backing out of the garage,,you guessed it.. I bumped into the snowblower:(
Same feeling I guess..Doing what was right..(I could have easily skipped it) and scratched the brand new car:(

poor u:(

Ouch! Here we have a couple of companies run by X cops that fight the ticket for you for a fee. If they loose you don't pay. The consultation is free. May be worth a shot.

Yikes! I'm so sorry Janet!
Having had a car totalled and a front porch damaged by hit-skip drivers, I'm always sympathetic by people who try to do the right thing and get nailed by the letter of the law.

Admittedly, I've skated thru more than my share of mishaps. Just out of college, I got pulled over for going 45 in a 25mph zone. I explained to the cop that I'd come back from the Middle East and was having trouble with speed limits. He thought that was funny and let me off with a warning.

Here in Columbus I was making a left turn on red (from a one-way street to a one-way street, perfectly legal.) But I wasn't watching and nearly hit a pedestrian. I was pretty shaken up, so when he started to yell at me I yelled back. He backed down and told me to be more careful in the future -- it wasn't until I was three blocks away that I realized the guy was a uniformed cop -- and we'd been right in front of police headquarters.

A few years ago in July I was driving behind an SUV on a narrow downtown street with construction. The driver was on a cell phone and weaving back, and I felt very morally vindicated when a motorcyle cop pulled up behind us and turned the light on. Until I realized he was signalling me to pull over.

With a sinking feeling, I realized my tags had expired on my birthday in January. (I apparently have issues with timeliness.) As I handed him my license I realized that my recently replaced license was also expired.

I got my ticket and had to go to traffic court. (Renewed my tags and license before my day in court.) You sit for a few hours, then get 30 seconds with the attorney; sit back down and then get 30 seconds with the judge. The attorney said, because both had been expired six months, there would be a $250 fine and I would have to take the driver's test again.

In the interlude before I went before the judge, I counted up on my fingers, and realized I had renewed 1 day short of six months. I explained that, took my $30 fine and was feeling pretty smug as I went out to my car. Where I found a $30 ticket on the windshield for an expired meter.

If bad catches up with you, I think good should, too. Hope your lucky break catches up with you soon, Janet!

Oohh a cojmpany that fights the tickets for you! That sounds good. I make great cakes but here in Berkeley the judge would probably be vegan! Alison, that is a GREAT story.

We're still checking out about the court fees. Adding more to the ticket would really hurt.

Well that just stinks. Hopefully you can get out of it. $250 is pretty steep.

Good Luck

Love your story Alison.

Tracey

oh man - I'll just die if I'm your swap partner!

Seriously, that is just awful - I hope it works out OK and does not cost you that much...

Oh my! I can't believe the cop would ticket you if there is someone sitting at the wheel with the car running! What if he just spilled his hot coffee and was wiping it off of himself?

What a rude cop. I hope you beat this.

So sorry Janet. That is a pretty high charge, isn't it? Well, I know that I am not your swap partner since I already had that very delightful experience. Whew.

How awful! That fine sounds ridiculous. Here in Buffalo there was an article recently in the paper that talked about how Buffalo police were purposely issuing more tickets because they were ticked about a pay freeze. What a joke! They love to issue tickets in New York. I've never, ever been issued a warning - always a ticket and a court appearance. Seems like more of a waste of time and money to me. All at taxpayer expense.

Maybe you could tell them you were mailing a package to a soldier overseas or something. I hate to use them as a scapegoat...but earlier last year my then 18-year-old brother soon-to-be-Marine got pulled over for no less than open container (which REALLY ticked me off), speeding and a few other things. I was very disappointed in him and even more disappointed in the judge who let him off because he was leaving for the service! But that might just be rural Ohio for you....I don't know.

I hope you fight it and win! And I agree about the car running thing. Your DH could easily have moved the car in a heartbeat if a bus pulled up.

I just recieved my swap package from Granjan...

Nancy