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Consequences of speeding over 20 mph from stated limit in Ohio if i plead guilty in court.
Anonymous8 views4 answers
I got a ticket in Ohio while driving at 97 mph in 70 mph speed limit zone. The ticket says not mandatory to come visit the court, however the officer told me to call the court number to ask for fine and pay it. When i called the number they say it doesn't matter what's printed on ticket and you have to come to the court for a decision.
I am planning to go to the court, but since this is my first ticket in lifetime and i do not understand any complications, i need pointers for help.
**The specific thing i want to know about is, What would happen if i go to the court, plea my guilty and pay the fines. Will i be charged with any other thing as well like criminal offense which will come-up every time there is back ground check etc. Thanks for your help in advance.
Thanks,
Kind Regards,
Sid.
Matthew Oberlin WilliamsCriminal Defense AttorneyCleveland, OH ·
Hi Sid. In theory, you should be able to pay the fine and take the points if that is really what you want to do. It is possible, but not particularly likely, that you will be charged with reckless driving due to the high speed, but again, that isn't likely if you were not initially cited for it.
The best course of action would to get an attorney, as you can probably get this ticket reduced and may be able to avoid the points, which will cause your insurance premium to increase.
Since I am not an Ohio lawyer, I can not speak to what will happen to you and I will defer to my Ohio colleagues for any better Ohio specific answers.
My answer is to your question is that you are cheating yourself out of options and potentially better resolutions because you have not consulted with an attorney on this matter, and I do not mean the public, I mean someone looking out for you specifically.
The easiest way for you to deal with this situation is to hire a ticket lawyer to take care of this. There is no magic to it and no pearls of wisdom from the google gods or well meaning lawyers on as to tell you yourself how to beat the ticket, if beating it is possible.
If you have defenses, and you may, then the best use of your time and money is to hire a ticket lawyer in Port Clinton to take care of it. Use Find A Lawyer OR Google Ticket Law Port Clinton OR try one of the million mailers you either received or about to receive and retain them.
This is one of the easiest and cheapest attorney-client relationships one could have. Many ticket lawyers charge very reasonable fees, especially when you consider ticket, court costs, and insurance savings, depending on your record and the location of the ticket. Most do not require an office visit, and some, you may never even meet in person, you are just told when to be there and when its resolved or what you need to do to mitigate it.
Basically, my words of wisdom is, do not try and do this yourself and do not rollover on this without a fight. Do yourself and your driving record a favor and retain counsel to deal with this ticket. If the worst happens, you at least tried to defend it and in the best case, you exercised several options and defenses to handle it.
I agree with my colleagues. Talk with a lawyer if you want to try to avoid points. However, Port Clinton is a TOUGH court to get anything done in. But talking with a local lawyer cannot hurt.
Regarding your question about background checks: The offense is technically a "traffic" offense, not a "criminal" offense. Further, it is a minor misdemeanor. I would be shocked in the extreme if a minor misdemeanor traffic offense would cause any employer concern about hiring you (unless, of course, it is a job that involves driving a motor vehicle as the primary task and requires a spotless driving record).
Best of luck.
Were you in Port Clinton? If so, you really need an attorney. Judge Hany is no joke- even on traffic tickets. They could decide to charge you with reckless operation instead.
