First DUI (Marijuana)

[Brill Weave]

What area Sep? Regardless, plead not guilty. If you plead guilty you're fucked. Ideally you want the audience with the judge. Unless it's City of Pittsburgh traffic court. In that case you're fucked. If it's a borough traffic court you stand a good chance of some form of reduction. Just be honest with the judge and tell him you aren't disputing the speed but you're asking for help with the points/fine. Most judges will at the very least throw you a bone if you have a good driving record.

[Vandole]

You can easily get that thrown out or do driving school.

[Sepukku]

What area Sep? Regardless, plead not guilty. If you plead guilty you're fucked. Ideally you want the audience with the judge. Unless it's City of Pittsburgh traffic court. In that case you're fucked. If it's a borough traffic court you stand a good chance of some form of reduction. Just be honest with the judge and tell him you aren't disputing the speed but you're asking for help with the points/fine. Most judges will at the very least throw you a bone if you have a good driving record.

Belle Vernon municipal court.... >: [

I'm really hoping I can get some major help from the judge, made it almost to my 24th birthday with not a single accident or ticket; I consider that good for my age compared to most friends' accounts. I was clearly abiding by the road's typical speed limit that I'm accustomed to and I'd hope after hearing the circumstances that the judge will be forgiving.

[Brill Weave]

Definitely plead Not Guilty. It's better than the alternative.

[Lucavi]

But guys, he clearly did the crime! He was smoking! Why would you ask him to lie in front of the court?! Isn't that an affront to everything that is truth, justice and the American way?!

[Tymon]

But guys, he clearly did the crime! He was smoking! Why would you ask him to lie in front of the court?! Isn't that an affront to everything that is truth, justice and the American way?!

He should also compensate them and perhaps buy them dinner for taking the time out of their busy lives to hear his case in the judicial system

[BadKarma]

You're an idiot

[Pandora]

You're an idiot

well you like hockey, so who is really losing here?

[Qalbert]

Probably the idiot who went out driving, while high, got caught, and then asked the internet how to get out of it.

[BadKarma]

well you like hockey, so who is really losing here?

Uh oh I'm calling Aunti Isla on you.

[Gokku]

How in the fuck were you speeding while high , i was on some hydro last week trying to drive home , it was a 10 min drive i struggled to even go the 45mph listed , felt like it took me an hour to get home.

[BadKarma]

Probably the idiot who went out driving, while high, got caught, and then asked the internet how to get out of it.

Loool

[Bregor]

Probably the idiot who went out driving, while high, got caught, and then asked the internet how to get out of it.

[Cail]

Probably the idiot who went out driving, while high, got caught, and then asked the internet how to get out of it.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...EMhK4n8vyr3FIQ

[Heavencloud]

http://www.bettercallsaul.com/

[Xno Kappa]

Probably the idiot who went out driving, while high, got caught, and then asked the internet how to get out of it.

/thread.

[Pikarya]

well you like hockey, so who is really losing here?

Because football is better.

[Von Leon]

Good luck getting out of that, clean. lol

[Nephlite]

So I got pulled over for speeding in South Carolina 60 in a 45, had a small joint about 1gram or so. I had smoked in the truck about 30minutes or so before I got pulled over, the officer smelled it and asked me to perform the field sobriety tests. Apparently I failed. I was issued a ticket for DUI 1st and Simple Possesion, not for speeding.

This was my first time ever getting pulled over after just getting my license a month before, I was pretty nervous and shakey I informed him of this. I did not feel high at all or even under the influence but he told me the tests said otherwise so.

I go to the police station he books me in I sign all the paper work. Now I do the breath test because I was not drinking alcohol, but I refused the urine test he tells me my license is suspended in SC If I choose to do so. The officer informed me that he would not be attending the hearing by the DMV for such actions so I would get my license back for said time until proven guilty for DUI. Moving on arrested, booked transported to local county jail bonded out next day 1600$.

so here are my questions regarding the situation

1. The officer told me I should fight it in court to get it reduced to reckless driving
due to my age (19) and lack of criminal history (none what so ever). What are the chances of this happening?

2. I can't afford a paid lawyer, everyone I have called is way out of my price range. How well are the court appointed attorneys? Will this greatly decrease my chance of getting my charge reduced?

3. If charged with DUI is there anyway I can keep my license as it is needed for my job, and such a charge will probably be the end of it for me.

Thanks for the help in advanced, if you have any questions about the situation and would like to help feel free to pm/post thanks.

1. I would rather take the Simple Possession. Reckless driving can get your license suspended/stays on your record, and can get you locked up. Simple possession is a citation, and drug awareness classes at the most. It's gonna be up to your lawyer, how good he/she is and weather or not you can afford the fines and penalties. Simple possession/Speeding will probably run you about $1000. Your chances of getting this done are slim but if you plead guilty with explanation, you should be able to talk the judge in to a reduced penalty.

2. Court appointed lawyers are legal council that you roll the dice on. It's good to have someone there to translate some of the court lingo for you. They should be able to give you advice and tell you what your chances of getting a reduced sentence will be. They are paid by the state though and get paid regardless if you win or loose, so don't expect them to royally screw you. Make sure you session with your appointed lawyer to go over the specifics of the case as most are called less than an hour before your arraignment and don't know squat about your case.

3. What field sobriety testing did you do (if you remember)? Walk and turn, one leg stand, and Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus testing can prove DUI from something other than alcohol so if you failed all three of those tests, you could be fucked. If you can when you go to court, get a copy of the field report and a copy of the IPRF (Intoxicated Person Reporting Form). Usually (and this is nationwide), by you refusing a blood draw or field sobriety test, it's like an admission of guilt and can screw you more than evidence that proves otherwise. Courts and police especially don't like non-compliant persons. You're going to have a hard battle here my friend. Just play it cool and try to do the innocent routine.

So I got my first ever ticket after 7+ years of driving yesterday and I was NOT high or drunk, so maybe you guys could advise me better... clocked at 35.4 MPH in a 15 MPH school zone; the road typically is a 35 MPH road and no kids/busses were in sight when the cop initially siren'ed me over to the side of the road and no kid or bus passed us - it was at 3:25 local time when I guess school zone time ended at 3:30 for that high school. I'm usually fine cause (A) I work weekends so this doesn't apply for 2 of my 3 work shifts and (B) I was early; I typically go by around 3:45 when school zone time is over.

How do I go about pleading to a judge for leniency and a lesser vehicle infraction / less license points / less fine? My ticket says I can plead guilty or plead not guilty. Plead not guilty is the one where I go before a judge; but it seems like the wrong choice cause I'm not actually DENYING I was going 35 MPH on the road. I know I was. But that seems like the only outcome where I see a judge?

Pennsylvania if reference is needed.

You should be able to request a trial in writing on the back of the ticket. Usually you mail the ticket in and you'll get a reply in the mail within 7 business days. If it has a trial date on the ticket, then don't do anything (unless the ticket specifically requests you to mail in to confirm you want to go to trial) and go to court. The WORST thing you can do is plead Not Guilty to charges. If you get proven wrong in court (which doesn't require a whole lot of proof for traffic), you'll most likely get the maximum punishment available which in this case, 11-15 MPH over the posted speed limit is considered Reckless Driving and you can get your license pulled, if not jail time. Most likely the officer used a Laser to clock you, which saves the time, date, and log in a report on the devices drive. For this case, he'll write the entry down and download the entry to your file. The file will be looked at by the judge and you'll get the book thrown at you.

Just admit guilt. You were guilty from the way you wrote the story. Admit guilt with an explanation (Most jurisdictions allow this). Talk to the judge and tell him you take that road every day, you typically go that way when school isn't in session, therefore you weren't thinking about the speed limit and that you're sorry. Tell him you have a clean record and you would request leniency.

I know when I got my recent ticket for running a stop sign, the judge said at the very beginning "If you plead guilty to your charge, I will take leniency and will reduce your charge if you have a clean record". I said guilty, he threw the case out and made me pay court fees ($75.00 and I didn't even say I was a cop!). No points, no record, no nothing (and where I committed the offense, running a stop sign can net you 2 points + a $300.00 fine). Remember this: Courts can always knock a sentence down IF they choose. They can't charge you with anything more than what you've been charged with and 9 times out of 10 when you plead not guilty, they will almost always charge you with the maximum allotted (mostly to compensate for court costs). Just plead guilty with explanation and hope you get a good judge.

[Ratatapa]

So is he in prison yet?