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      01-09-2015, 08:14 AM   #23
kscarrol
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First, don't drive 98 in a 70 zone in that part of Louisiana, lots of speed traps as you found out... Lecture over.

Get a local lawyer who is familiar with the courts in Lake Charles and hopefully knows the judge. Can't speak to your other legal questions but showing up in a Louisiana court with some lawyer from Houston will probably NOT earn you any brownie points with the judge!
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      01-09-2015, 08:25 AM   #24
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Thats what I was thinking, like why pay a lawyer to speak when I can speak for myself. However, I am no legal expert.
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      01-09-2015, 08:28 AM   #25
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Originally Posted by kscarrol View Post
First, don't drive 98 in a 70 zone in that part of Louisiana, lots of speed traps as you found out... Lecture over.

Get a local lawyer who is familiar with the courts in Lake Charles and hopefully knows the judge. Can't speak to your other legal questions but showing up in a Louisiana court with some lawyer from Houston will probably NOT earn you any brownie points with the judge!
Trust me, lesson learned. I have been back to casinos since the ticket and have been very cautious.
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      01-09-2015, 09:01 AM   #26
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Get a local lawyer. They will negotiate some lesser fine and you will plead out. Local lawyers send bottles of whiskey to the judges at christmas time for a reason!
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      01-09-2015, 09:40 AM   #27
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Thats what I was thinking, like why pay a lawyer to speak when I can speak for myself. However, I am no legal expert.
Do not get a lawyer.

It's worthless. Ask if you can donate the money to charity which will remove the point from your license. What the heck is the lawyer going to say/do?

The lawyer is not after your best interest, The lawyer is here to collect $$$, Just like everyone else, the lawyer has bills to pay and kids to feed.
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      01-09-2015, 01:27 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Whostheboss
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skhmund View Post
Thats what I was thinking, like why pay a lawyer to speak when I can speak for myself. However, I am no legal expert.
Do not get a lawyer.

It's worthless. Ask if you can donate the money to charity which will remove the point from your license. What the heck is the lawyer going to say/do?

The lawyer is not after your best interest, The lawyer is here to collect $$$, Just like everyone else, the lawyer has bills to pay and kids to feed.
Hmm I like the charity idea. How would I phrase that in court or bring it up?
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      01-09-2015, 02:18 PM   #29
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Hmm I like the charity idea. How would I phrase that in court or bring it up?
You have to ask them for it. Hopefully the Magistrate is nice enough to grant you that option. Most of the time the will.
Ask them if it's possible to donate the ticket price to a charity so you don't get points.

Like i said, this is possible in CT, i don't know about TX.
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      01-09-2015, 04:07 PM   #30
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Originally Posted by Whostheboss
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Originally Posted by Skhmund View Post
Hmm I like the charity idea. How would I phrase that in court or bring it up?
You have to ask them for it. Hopefully the Magistrate is nice enough to grant you that option. Most of the time the will.
Ask them if it's possible to donate the ticket price to a charity so you don't get points.

Like i said, this is possible in CT, i don't know about TX.
Thank you for the advice, I shall definitely give it a try.
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      01-09-2015, 05:32 PM   #31
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First off, what does the ticket actually say? Did they include reckless driving? In a lot of states (mine included) speeding that much is reckless driving. Not only are you looking at a huge fine, but points on your license and your insurance premium is guaranteed to go up. There's a lot more at stake here than just a few bucks for the fine. You could even lose your license.

I would say you need to get a lawyer in the county of the violation. If you show up and try to do this yourself, chances are you're going to walk out of there with points, higher insurance, and a big fine. They are going to see you're from out of the area and they are going to nail you.
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      01-09-2015, 05:45 PM   #32
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Originally Posted by Templar View Post
I would say you need to get a lawyer in the parish of the violation. If you show up and try to do this yourself, chances are you're going to walk out of there with points, higher insurance, and a big fine. They are going to see you're from out of the area and they are going to nail you.
Minor correction above, we have don't have counties in Louisiana!

But solid advice. I have not had a ticket in more than 20 years and never that much above the speed limit. Templar is correct, at 28 mph above the limit this could easily be more than a simple fine for speeding. Get a lawyer from the Lake Charles area to handle the case.

Edit: Can't vouch for the validity of this but a simple Google search found this document for Calcasieu Parish (Lake Charles) fines. Numbers stop at 14 mph above the limit w/ 15 mph and above requiring a court appearance. The ticket may not say reckless driving on it but maybe the judge could rule it was reckless driving. Would not surprise me here in Louisiana... And an important point for the OP. Were you caught by a local sheriff or by the state police? Sheriff likely means parish court while state police likely means district court. In a local court, your are in tougher shape. In district court, they are dealing with murders etc so a traffic violation is not as serious...

https://www.ncourt.com/nCourtUnivers...TION/fines.pdf
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      01-09-2015, 05:55 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kscarrol View Post
Minor correction above, we have don't have counties in Louisiana!

But solid advice. I have not had a ticket in more than 20 years and never that much above the speed limit. Templar is correct, at 28 mph above the limit this could easily be more than a simple fine for speeding. Get a lawyer from the Lake Charles area to handle the case.
Ah I gotcha!

The only reason I am asking is because the last time I got pulled over for speeding, it was almost as bad (about 20 over). I got reckless and the speed on the ticket. I paid $500 for the lawyer. It was worth no points, no insurance issues, and keeping my license.
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      01-09-2015, 06:01 PM   #34
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I have been practicing law in that speed trap known as Los Angeles County for 43 years. My practice is civil litigation, not traffic. However, having said that, for the offense for which you're charged I would get a local traffic lawyer. I suspect if you're charged for 98 in a 70 you were probably really into 3 digits and the cop cut you a break. How big of a break your lawyer can tell you. (I also suspect that everyone in the courtroom who works there on a daily basis will also know that the cop cut you a break.)

I wouldn't ask people here for legal advice, as it's worth a lot less than you're paying them for it. A local traffic lawyer will be able to tell you if he can get you traffic school or some such.

The only thing that gives me pause is that you would think a lawyer in Houston could help you with a ticket in Louisiana. Wow. For that question alone -- you need a lawyer!
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      01-09-2015, 07:30 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer View Post
I have been practicing law in that speed trap known as Los Angeles County for 43 years. My practice is civil litigation, not traffic. However, having said that, for the offense for which you're charged I would get a local traffic lawyer. I suspect if you're charged for 98 in a 70 you were probably really into 3 digits and the cop cut you a break. How big of a break your lawyer can tell you. (I also suspect that everyone in the courtroom who works there on a daily basis will also know that the cop cut you a break.)

I wouldn't ask people here for legal advice, as it's worth a lot less than you're paying them for it. A local traffic lawyer will be able to tell you if he can get you traffic school or some such.

The only thing that gives me pause is that you would think a lawyer in Houston could help you with a ticket in Louisiana. Wow. For that question alone -- you need a lawyer!
i'm not the OP but thanks for chiming in. it's nice to when a professional posts.
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      01-09-2015, 08:03 PM   #36
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Originally Posted by kscarrol View Post
Minor correction above, we have don't have counties in Louisiana!

But solid advice. I have not had a ticket in more than 20 years and never that much above the speed limit. Templar is correct, at 28 mph above the limit this could easily be more than a simple fine for speeding. Get a lawyer from the Lake Charles area to handle the case.

Edit: Can't vouch for the validity of this but a simple Google search found this document for Calcasieu Parish (Lake Charles) fines. Numbers stop at 14 mph above the limit w/ 15 mph and above requiring a court appearance. The ticket may not say reckless driving on it but maybe the judge could rule it was reckless driving. Would not surprise me here in Louisiana... And an important point for the OP. Were you caught by a local sheriff or by the state police? Sheriff likely means parish court while state police likely means district court. In a local court, your are in tougher shape. In district court, they are dealing with murders etc so a traffic violation is not as serious...

https://www.ncourt.com/nCourtUnivers...TION/fines.pdf
Ticket says Speeding only and has "Office of State Police" at the top. I shall definitely get a local lawyer, any suggestions or referrals anyone??

And yes, it is Calcasieu, 14th Court.
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      01-09-2015, 08:04 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer View Post
I have been practicing law in that speed trap known as Los Angeles County for 43 years. My practice is civil litigation, not traffic. However, having said that, for the offense for which you're charged I would get a local traffic lawyer. I suspect if you're charged for 98 in a 70 you were probably really into 3 digits and the cop cut you a break. How big of a break your lawyer can tell you. (I also suspect that everyone in the courtroom who works there on a daily basis will also know that the cop cut you a break.)

I wouldn't ask people here for legal advice, as it's worth a lot less than you're paying them for it. A local traffic lawyer will be able to tell you if he can get you traffic school or some such.

The only thing that gives me pause is that you would think a lawyer in Houston could help you with a ticket in Louisiana. Wow. For that question alone -- you need a lawyer!
Thank you so much for the advice!
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      01-10-2015, 03:10 PM   #38
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While I was actually in San B county, the CHP officer came to the window, said he clocked me at 87 in the 70, and that's exactly what was written on my ticket yesterday. Seems my digital display and his LIDAR read the same
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      01-10-2015, 05:05 PM   #39
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out of curiosity Skhmund, do you use a radar detector and if so which kind?
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      01-10-2015, 09:28 PM   #40
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out of curiosity Skhmund, do you use a radar detector and if so which kind?
No radar, I've never felt the desire for one but I might look into one. I'm going to research a lawyer local to the area and see what I can do to avoid anything on my license.
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      01-11-2015, 09:23 AM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UncleWede View Post
Malibu

While I was actually in San B county, the CHP officer came to the window, said he clocked me at 87 in the 70, and that's exactly what was written on my ticket yesterday. Seems my digital display and his LIDAR read the same
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      01-11-2015, 09:28 AM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UncleWede View Post
Malibu

While I was actually in San B county, the CHP officer came to the window, said he clocked me at 87 in the 70, and that's exactly what was written on my ticket yesterday. Seems my digital display and his LIDAR read the same
Interesting. Every BMW I've owned this century has been 2 MPH off -- indicating a faster speed than the car is actually traveling,
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      01-11-2015, 01:33 PM   #43
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Interesting. Every BMW I've owned this century has been 2 MPH off -- indicating a faster speed than the car is actually traveling,
I believe that all German manufacturers do this on purpose due to a law stating that the car can't read slower than it is actually going. If you get into the code of the car you can see where they bias it (factor of 1.06 I think).
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      01-11-2015, 02:07 PM   #44
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I believe that all German manufacturers do this on purpose due to a law stating that the car can't read slower than it is actually going. If you get into the code of the car you can see where they bias it (factor of 1.06 I think).
My comment was based on the fact the poster to whom I was responding said he was ticketed for the speed displayed on his speedometer, which I think is unlikely. BMW's practice, as I mentioned anecdotally and as you have described it, would lead one to a different conclusion.

My 3.0CS was off by about 4 mph. And the mileage I accrued before I sold it (I had it for 29 years) was off by a correlative amount. (When I sold it, the car showed "36,000" miles, but the odometer had only 5 digits. I had actually driven about 126,000 miles.)
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