I'm serious here people. I truly want your opinions...
Andy was heading to his annual reserve check-in a few weeks ago for the Marine Corps a few hours away. He was in the right lane and he passed a cop sitting off to the side of the road by himself with his lights on. He kept on driving...
The cop pulled him over. He said he failed to yield to an emergency vehicle.
The cop said he saw there were cars to the left of Andy so he couldn't have pulled over to the other lane, but the very least he should have done was slow down. He said it's a state law.
He gave Andy a ticket for $180, and the ticket carried an 8 point addition to his license.
Today was Andy's court date. I have never been pulled over, so I don't know how it all works. But, today was the last day he could plead guilty or not guilty. He met with the judge and the judge said there was nothing he could do for him. He couldn't deduct the fine or any of the points. He said if he wanted to plead not guilty they would set a trial date and then he would come back and plead his case.
Andy believes that he was guilty by law. He had no idea of the law at the time so he was not willingly disobeying, but ignorance is no excuse he says. He pleaded guilty and paid the fine and now has 8 points on his license.
Now, I don't ask for comments very much, but I'm begging you people. I want to know what you think. I don't care if you leave your comments anonymous or not. I just want to know what others would have done in such a situation. I'm super green to driving violations and how it all works. I would like as much input as you'll give me.
Now, share your wisdom... ready, set, go!
5 comments:
well i think that cop was ridiculous. wow, i've NEVER heard that before. maybe its an indiana thing. i've gotten 3 tickets (all within school zones). um, i guess, yea, if that is the law, then andy broke it, but i think maybe i would have tried to do something...i dont know what. plead ignorance or something. it is just a heavy fine $$ and 8 points is huge. i'm sorry! i know this wasn't any help.
News Amy - my Gladiolus finally bloomed!! Just when I was about ready to throw the bulb in the trash. It didn't want to bloom at Christmas....but chose April to bloom instead! :)
To that police officer I would just like to say..."do you realize what this man has done to serve this country and protect the freedoms that his own family enjoys? And don't you think he deserves a pass and just a warning that now he does know this Indiana law - especially since this isn't a law in all states and he hasn't lived in this state that long?" I would just like to say to that officer - "think about it again, take a deep breath, and have some mercy!".
(Just fyi - the law was setup not too many years ago because so many police officers and others stopped at the side of the road were getting killed just trying to write a ticket or change their tire. The idea was you should get in the left lane - or if you couldn't at least brake and slow down -to hopefully save some lives of people who are on the side of the road.)
That said - - stuff like this tends to get us down and frustrate us...but in God's economy - -who knows what His plan was in that exchange. Andy may have had a profound impact (he usually does on most people he meets!) on that officer that day. $180 dollars is a small price to pay (I know-easy for me to say) for whatever seed God might have been planting in that officer and/or judge's life by their encounter with Andy.
Just a thought.
I'm finding that being a foot soldier for Jesus not only sometimes requires great sacrifice - sometimes it requires petty frustrations and aggravations while maintaining a sweet spirit.
Love ya - - probably more feedback than you wanted! Jules
Okay I just recently learned about that law here in NC and thankfully was not pulled before learning it was a law. I would have pleaded not guilty and hired a lawyer. There's no way we can know all the new laws put in place unless someone tells us.
Unforunately this may not have been about breaking a law but more likely the cop needing to meet a quota. Usually if a cop has not met a quota they give a ticket BUT if they have met their quota and see that you are a new resident (by your DL) then they give out warnings. Knowing that I would have fought the bill. At that point it's politics. A lawyer in with the judge gets you off and the cop gets his qouta.
I'm sorry for you guys as I'm sure insurance will be rough for a few years. Tell Andy he's got integrity.
I agree that Andy deserves credit for taking the fall from a cop who probably was trying to meet some sort of bogus quota. There are a couple loop holes, like if the cop didn't show to his hearing, it's dropped and a lot of times they don't. That happened to me, that's the only reason I know. Also, I showed up, explained that I was a broke student, or in your case young family, and the public defender took my case for free and got the points taken off and a lowered fine. I don't think there's much you can do now, and it's just a crummy situation because Andy deserves better and the cop could have just had a bad day or needed to meet a quota and Andy suffered for that. I also agree though that Andy's integrity has a bigger purpose and he'll ultimately be rewarded by God.
Sorry guys!
What a tough situation! I'm sorry to say that I may not have taken my consequence with the grace that Andy did. What an example he set! I think I would have tried to get out of it...especially since he didn't know about the law. By the way, this is new law in NC as well! I appreciate Andy's example and know that he is showing God's grace through this situation!
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