Yet another ticket (Expired tags while parked) help!

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PerfectFinish1

New member
Hmm so my TSi has been in the street for a few days since it broke down. My tags on it were expired, since I sent in a custom plate request online, paid my $100, and then they said the request wasn't available afterall and they are holding my money.



Few cops pound on the door at 12:30am, asks about whos Eagle it is, out of habbit, since I drive it everyday everywhere I said it was mine. He says he should tow it, but he'll be "nice" and just give me a ticket. He writes teh ticket, and I go inside and get the paper showing that I bought plates. I showed it to the cop, and I could tell he felt bad. He just said show that to them in court and see what the judge says... acting as if it should get thrown out.



He also said he'd give me a few days to get it pushed inside... after I made the mistake of telling him it just broke down.



I just realized though that the parking ticket is in my name, yet the car is registered to my mom. Did he not even bother to read the plate?



Do you think I can get out of this ticket by:

A: showing that I purchased plates and the DMV screwed up

B: explaining that the car is "not even registered to me" and I got the ticket for it

C: claiming stupidity, as I didn't actually realize I was breaking a law by parking the car there.... and had no option but to leave the car there.
 
You can get out of it, focus on argument A only. What a waste of your time, though, to have to go to court. And I'll bet you its a moving violation too.
 
Black240SX said:
The cop probably won't bother to appear in court.
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It's not a moving violation so the cop won't need to be present. The best bet is to go to court and show your paper work. It will more than likely get dropped. Make sure you get the new tags as it's your responsibility to make sure the car is tagged properly and on time. Good luck.:)
 
Well it's the same violation as if I was driving the car... so I'm pretty sure it will still be a moving violation. It's rediculous. Thanks for the tips everyone, keep 'em comming.
 
Here is another question, would I pleed not guilty or no contest? Last time I pled no contest, as I was told to, and the judge just went "well ok! $100 in fines, 2 points, have a nice day!"
 
PerfectFinish1 said:


Do you think I can get out of this ticket by:

A: showing that I purchased plates and the DMV screwed up

B: explaining that the car is "not even registered to me" and I got the ticket for it

C: claiming stupidity, as I didn't actually realize I was breaking a law by parking the car there.... and had no option but to leave the car there.
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B:It doesn't matter if the car is registered to you or not. You parked it there. If you are driving someone elses car and you get stopped for speeding, you get charged even though its not your car.



C: Be careful with this one, you may be told ignorance of the law is no excuse.



Depending on how much you told the Officer kinda depends on what you can say unless your concious doesn't care about lying in court. Did you tell him you parked it there? It sounds like he knows you paid for the plates.



I would find out if it is considered a moving violation. If it isn't I would just pay the fine and forget about it. You should not receive any points for a non moving violation. If points are involved, I would just explain to the judge that the car was broke down, however the registration was paid (bring proof) and you had every intention to get it fixed ASAP. Explain that DMV was dragging their feet in issuing plates.
 
I would bet that if you showed up on court day with current tags and the paperwork showing you paid for tags before the date on the ticket you'll be fine. And yeah, not guilty all the way. It is a sad waste of your time but what can you do?
 
I'm sorry if this is tough love, but why did you get this ticket? It sounds like you knew the cop was writing you for the plates, but you waited until after he had written to show him your custom plate request...at which point he "felt bad". Why didn't you show him that before he had written the ticket? And why, if your custom plate request was denied, didn't you renew your existing registration or get the car off of the street? Why would the DMV "hold your money"? If they won't issue the custom plate they said they would, they must be holding your money for you to select another custom plate.



I'm sorry but it sounds like you brought this upon yourself through irresponsibility. Being in a dispute (which it's not clear you really are) with the DMV is no excuse for a lapsed registration. The best way to get out of a ticket is not to get it in the first place. FWIW, my cop friend says never go to court without a lawyer, and since your mother owns the car, I'm not sure she isn't subject to some penalty for this as well or instead of you, so bear that in mind. IIRC, you have some history with the local police (and perhaps with the local judge) so be careful what you do in court.



Sorry to be harsh. :( :o
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I'm sorry if this is tough love, but why did you get this ticket? It sounds like you knew the cop was writing you for the plates, but you waited until after he had written to show him your custom plate request...at which point he "felt bad". Why didn't you show him that before he had written the ticket? And why, if your custom plate request was denied, didn't you renew your existing registration or get the car off of the street? Why would the DMV "hold your money"? If they won't issue the custom plate they said they would, they must be holding your money for you to select another custom plate.



I'm sorry but it sounds like you brought this upon yourself through irresponsibility. Being in a dispute (which it's not clear you really are) with the DMV is no excuse for a lapsed registration. The best way to get out of a ticket is not to get it in the first place. FWIW, my cop friend says never go to court without a lawyer, and since your mother owns the car, I'm not sure she isn't subject to some penalty for this as well or instead of you, so bear that in mind. IIRC, you have some history with the local police (and perhaps with the local judge) so be careful what you do in court.



Sorry to be harsh. :( :o
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Preach on Brother Setec, preach on! :up
 
I'm sorry if this is tough love, but why did you get this ticket? It sounds like you knew the cop was writing you for the plates, but you waited until after he had written to show him your custom plate request...at which point he "felt bad". Why didn't you show him that before he had written the ticket?



Well he told me to go inside, and he'd come back to the door with my ticket. I just agreed, and was just thinking how much it sucked that I actually paid for plates and didn't get them.. and by the time I found the paperwork, it was too late... I ran out and he was walking up the driveway with the ticket.



And why, if your custom plate request was denied, didn't you renew your existing registration or get the car off of the street?



I wasn't aware that I couldn't park the car on the street. It just broke down, and my mom made me get it out of the driveway. Expired tags were the last thing on my mind since I haven't driven the car lately (since it was broken) and I've been driving the Blazer. I sent in a request for custom plates online, and they approved it, took the $, and then sent me a letter saying they were denied afterall and they were holding my money.



Why would the DMV "hold your money"? If they won't issue the custom plate they said they would, they must be holding your money for you to select another custom plate.



Yep, they were... every other plate was taken, and I just asked for a full refund and they said they couldn't do it for some reason.



Sorry to be harsh. :( :o



It's ok
 
Basically, my (completely true) arguement would be that: The car had been broken for a few weeks since before the plates expired. My mom made me get it out of the driveway, at whcih point I parked it in the street, not realizing that it was illegal, for a couple of days while I tried to find someone to fix it. The car did not start, and I had no intention or way of possibly driving it with the expired tags. However, I had applied for custom plates before mine expired, dated March 23. I received a letter in the mail April 7th saying the plates were declined and my money was being held. I would then show that I do have current registration since the new plates came in the mail.



ahh my true story sucks, I'm screwed. :-/



The cop didn't see me park it there though since it was not today, and he didn't check the plates on the car (registered to my mom) so not sure if he should have really written the ticket in that way or not
 
Don't even bring up the parked in the street, broken-down, finding a mechanic part. Stick to the I tried to get tags, you still had my money so I was paid up, and make sure you have tags before the court date. If they question you about the other stuff be prepared to answer. K.I.S.S.
 
I'm with splattj on thins. Leave out any "Mom made me do it"/ignorance of the law /"last thing on my mind" explanations and stick to the "I tried to do it, the BMV dragged their feet", and say how next time you plan to take care of such things earlier now that you see how long it can take. See if you get a dismissal or just a wrist-slap.



This one hinged on how the "interview" with the cop went (as do many judgment call situations where LEOs are involved). My wife broke down in my late father's car with expired plates, and the cop let us call a truck to tow it to our house and he didn't write it up- she and I just "played it right" so he cut us a break. You must have played it so-so, because the cop wasn't an SOB about it, but he still issued the ticket. Could've gone worse, could've gone better.
 
Yep it could have gone a lot better. Part of the problem is I'm a teenager and cops around here are out to get teenagers. (see my other thread about how all of my friends and I got a loud exhaust ticket when we were parked withour cars off) I've also been arrested when I was 16 for a traffic stop because a cop claimed I was disrespectful, when all I asked him was what something on the ticket meant. (I have many witnesses who will agree that I was completely respectful, I even called him sir when I asked my question. The cop was later kicked off of the force for an unrelated event, but has now retruned) At this time I was taken to the station and chained to a bench with a drug addict that was going insane and trying to rip the bench we were on out of the ground.



So... basically... teens here are very affraid of cops. When he said it was ready to get towed, I told him I would get it pushed in right away and I was sorry. He said he still had to write a ticket, so I just went into the "yes, sir" mode.



If I were older and didn't drive what I did, I would have done it differently. However, if he misunderstood what I was trying to say and decided to be a SOB, he could have written me another "loud exhaust" ticket with the car parked or something like that.
 
wooohoooo! I think I'm out of the ticket. The DMV is issuing me an official letter stating that I had renewed the plates, and due to an error on their end I could not get the plate. Not sure what else the letter will include, but it will be an official signed letter stating that they should have issued an extension on my current plates but did not. That combined with the fact that I had no intention of driving the vehicle should hopefully get me out of the ticket.



I just mentioned my ticket casually after she said she'd send an extension, and she said just hold on one second, I think I can help :up
 
That's great news. Still a hassle, but at least it's tilting in your favor. Yeah, it's too bad the cops in your area are the way are towards teens, but IMO that's sorta the same story everywhere, all the time. When I was a kid I'd get hassled about having just parking lights on or using foglights (and yeah, it was stupid :o ). Ya know, going into "yes, sir" mode isn't the worst thing you can do ;)
 
Lol yep, I played it safe. I had to go to court anyway to show proof of insurance, since it was in the car and the cop didn't want to wait for me to get it. (Remember I got the ticket inside my house, lol) I just got the extension letter saying I can drive the car legally with expired plates until June 10, but I'm still waiting on the other letter from her boss... I think this letter will do fine, but the other letter is supposed to be even better ::shrug::
 
PerfectFinish1 said:
... I just got the extension letter saying I can drive the car legally with expired plates until June 10, but I'm still waiting on the other letter from her boss...
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Just remember that even with the letters to save the day, you're still gonna get pulled over if a LEO notices the expired tags, and once that happens, well, you know...[stuff] can happen ;)
 
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