No contest, but it was for speeding instead of reckless driving. I lucked out today.
The asshole DA that was originally assigned to my case didn't show up for work. Instead, a younger DA was in charge of all 7 cases that were to be held in that particular courtroom for the entire day. All of them were multiple count misdemeanor/felony charges and all of them requested jury trials. I was the only defendent with one charge against me, and it was a comparatively minor one at that.
The DA, who was a hell of a lot smarter than the previous prosecutors I've had, called my lawyer aside and said, "Listen, I have 6 other trials today and I don't want to fuck around with this bullshit. How about we drop this to a speeding ticket and call it a day?" That was what I originally asked four months ago, so it was perfect. I entered a plea of no contest and the judge accepted. He fined me $20 and ordered me to pay it within a month. I think I can manage that ;).
My lawyer told me that this behavior is typical of this county...they hardball you at first and go for the maximum penalty, refuse to drop or lower the charges, then when the day comes for a jury trial they back off. That's the legal system for ya.
Anyway, I'm happy to get off with such a minor penalty after all this. And I definitely won't be speeding around the airport anytime soon. Thanks to all for the support!
Fred
The asshole DA that was originally assigned to my case didn't show up for work. Instead, a younger DA was in charge of all 7 cases that were to be held in that particular courtroom for the entire day. All of them were multiple count misdemeanor/felony charges and all of them requested jury trials. I was the only defendent with one charge against me, and it was a comparatively minor one at that.
The DA, who was a hell of a lot smarter than the previous prosecutors I've had, called my lawyer aside and said, "Listen, I have 6 other trials today and I don't want to fuck around with this bullshit. How about we drop this to a speeding ticket and call it a day?" That was what I originally asked four months ago, so it was perfect. I entered a plea of no contest and the judge accepted. He fined me $20 and ordered me to pay it within a month. I think I can manage that ;).
My lawyer told me that this behavior is typical of this county...they hardball you at first and go for the maximum penalty, refuse to drop or lower the charges, then when the day comes for a jury trial they back off. That's the legal system for ya.
Anyway, I'm happy to get off with such a minor penalty after all this. And I definitely won't be speeding around the airport anytime soon. Thanks to all for the support!
Fred
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