We get to Barstow in plenty of time and parked in the parking lot of the Superior Court of Barstow on West Mountain View. There were already a few cars parked and I see some people waiting in line as the court was not yet open. My wife and I stay in the car as it was cold outside (around 50 degrees). As we waited we watched the parking lot fill up. I can't say that all these people were there for traffic court, but even if it was only half going to traffic court, it shows that the city/state has been busy enforcing traffic laws!
After about 30 minutes of waiting, the court doors open up and we line up to enter. We go through the metal detectors and were instructed to sign in. After signing in, we are assigned a courtroom and told to wait. We waited for another 30 minutes when we are called into the courtroom by the bailiff.
The bailiff proceeds to tell us (my paraphrasing):
You will all be called up to appear before the judge. During this time, the judge will state the charge against you and you will be required to enter a plea of either guilty or not guilty. The judge will NOT hear any stories/explanations. If you have anything to say as your defense, save it for trial by pleading not guilty. Traffic school is available to you, but not if you were charged with driving over 100MPH or if you have a commercial drivers license. The judge moves quickly so when you hear your name, please stand up and line up in this area.At this point, we were screwed. Our plan was to plead "no contest" and ask the judge for leniency as this was my wife's first citation (ever) in 10+ years of driving. We huddled up and started to discuss what we wanted to do. As we discussed it, people were being called and lined up to appear before the judge. Would it surprise you (just based on what the bailiff had told everyone) that the judge would be an absolute hard ass?
If your penalty is a fine, you will be required to make payment. If you need a payment plan, that is available for an additional fee. After you have entered your plea and either get your penalty or agree to your assigned trial date, please step outside the courtroom and wait for your paperwork.
Well, neither did we, as we proceeded to hear the judge deliver the first set of penalties - a $1000 fine for one defendant going over 100MPH, a $861 fine for another person going over 100MPH, $225 fine for going 26MPH above the speed limit. You get the picture. Since the judge was not giving anyone a break, we decided to plead not guilty and take our chances at trial...a slim chance is better than no chance at all. However, we did attempt one thing - when called up, my wife asked if traffic school would be an option. Any guesses as to the judge's answer? Yup, she replied "NO".
Anyways, we now have a trial date for early April and will be making the early morning trip back to Barstow. We'll definitely have a lawyer with us for trial, so if anyone has any recommendations (or any words of advice), please let us know.
It took the judge about 45 minutes to clear the courtroom (with about 50 people appearing). I figure that the average fine was about $300-$350. In less than an hour, the city/state just raked in about $15,000. A good way to increase revenue if you ask me. Now if only the authorities would also enforce the ban on talking on your cell phone while driving! I see a minimum of 10 of these infractions a day...how much revenue would that bring into the city/state coffers?
With all this said, here's my public service announcement for the day:
Watch your speed folks. The city/county/state is broke and they want your money! Saving those few minutes on your drive isn't worth it...and can be dangerous as well.
PS - Too bad these weren't our judges at traffic court!
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