Hey guys, I need some help regarding a ticket given in Prince William county in Virginia. My brother in law was driving up from Florida to me in NY and got a speeding ticket along the way. Here are the details:

Summoned to Appear in the County of: Prince William
General District Court (Traffic): 9311 Lee Ave, Manassas, VA 20110
Appear On: July 13, 2007 @ 10:30am
Charge: Reckless Driving - Speed < 82/60 MPH Zone (VASCAR) >
Highway Safety Corridor: Yes
Date of Offense: 6/2/07, Sat, 9:10am
Location of Offense: I-95 @ RT 784

Here's the problem; the cop told him he MUST appear and the box for 'May Avoid Coming To Court Only If.....' was not checked. To top it off he's got a couple more tickets he's gotta fight back in FL and he's in jeopardy of losing his liscense.

Now I feel like $H!T, cuz he took a vacation from work where he's extremely busy (and doesn't take many vacations to begin with) and drove all the way from Tampa to LI, NY just to help me rebuild my basement from flood damage and this happens to him.

So here are my questions for anyone around that area or anyone that might know:
1. Are they typically looking for money in that county, will they bargain for more $$$ vs. no points?
2. Do they allow people to chage court dates so he can go there on his way down or come back on a more convenient date?
3. Can he get a lawyer to represent him so he doesn't have to drive back up just for court? (He's supposed to call today to find out if the court allows that)
4. If yes to #3, does anyone know of a decent lawyer to use in that area and if so what would they typically charge?

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thank guys!

 

https://g35driver.com/forums/northeast/159552-question-b4-questioning.html

 

What happened to you may not apply here, plus I still need a lawyer and the ticket stated MUST appear. What was I supposed to be looking for?

 

Anyone? Traffic court lawyer in VA? Anything?

 

The threads suggest that you call to see what they interested in. Either money or driving step points. Don't have to be an A about that, just wanna help.


Regret that I replied!

 

I'm not sure what words I used to have you think that. I wasn't trying to be an 'A'.

 

man for a second I thought u got a ticket in the 07 loaner.

I don't think VA and FL are linked. I got tickets in NJ and PA and nothing showed on my license. I would call the court house in VA and see if they can just plea bargain over the phone

 

Been there done that. It is a nice $750 ticket. The only way for him not to go to court is to get a lawyer to represent him. In any case he will be found guilty and will have to pay. I don't think it is any points though. A lawyer will probably be another $1000 or so. VA sucks for speeding tickets. Another option for him is send a letter stating that he is out of state and can not appear in court in person, and give reasons why he was speeding. He will be found guilty no matter what. He would be better off just pay the fine and be over with it. Lawyer in this case is just a waist of money.
Call them
Clerk
Ms Wetawna G. Hays
email: THays@courts.state.va.us
Hours
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Phone
703/792-6141
703/792-6149 (Civil Division)
Fax: 703/792-6121
Fax-703/792-6645 (Civil Division)

She will tell you what to do and where to send the letter.

 

With a good record and no prior history, you could opt to take a driving course and avoid points but this is a pretty serious speeding ticket. Court wise, it really depends on who the judge is that day in court. I've been there and witnessed a really cool judge that let off a lot of people for minor speeding violations with the agreement to take the driving course. Then again, I've heard a lot of judges are a lot less lenient for reckless tickets. If your brother was there in person, he can talk to the prosecutor to work out a lesser charge but in this case, I see that highly unlikely with prior history. If I recall correctly, in PW county, the cop does not have to be present as a witness so you're not likely to get off the hook. I've also seen lawyers represent many people that did not show.

 

Thanks oleg, lots of great info. I'm surprised that a lawyer is that much $$$. I'll tell him to call today and see what the deal is. If there's no points transferred, then he doesn't care about the fine.

I'll post back w/ results.

 

Unfortunately he has prior blemishes on his record, but would that come up through their computers in another state? Let's see how lucky he gets if does end up having to show.

 

Nah, why tho? Would I be banned from loaners? lol

I thought NJ and NY were connected. I used to have a NJ liscense and all the points from NY transferred, but got knocked down to 2 pts.