Carol’s Day in Court

Carol got a speeding ticket back in October 2008 in Fort Worth. She was coming out of downtown where 5th and 7th Street merge onto 287 as you are heading south. Everyone ramps it up there to get up to highway speed, but the speed limit is 40 mph. Her ticket was for doing 56 in the 40 mph zone.

My line to everyone when you get a traffic ticket it is just your turn. Odds are you have speed, ran light, changed a lane without a turn signal, or rolled a stop sign without getting a ticket. It is just karma catching up with you. Take defensive driving, deferred or just pay it and be done with it.

Carol insisted that she was not doing 56 and she did not deserve the ticket. The problem is it becomes her word versus the police officers. As a rule, the police officer will win. As the former City Administrator of Dalworthington Gardens, I have witness this first hand. Carol still wanted to fight the ticket. She requested a trial on the back of the ticket and sent it in.

Then we waited. At times we got nervous that Fort Worth would put a warrant out for her arrest for not taking care of the ticket. Every time we called and checked, it was still in process. Finally last month we got the court setting for Friday February 5, 2010 in Court Number 4 at 3:00 pm.

We arrived in court and Carol was getting real nervous. She is not a big fan of taking on authority. She was shaking. I again suggest she just plead “No Contest” and request Defensive Driving. The judge came in and started calling the docket. It became clear this was the 2008 ticket docket. Each defendant was asked how they plead. One after another they stood up and plead “Not Guilty” When it became Carol’s turn, she stood up, and plead “Not Guilty”. She sat back down and looked at me and said “Sorry, I could not do it, I was not speeding”.

I told her no big deal, but was thinking, “Good God, we are going to be here all day with these trials”. The judge began working on the computer and started calling out the names. One by one, each ticket was dismissed. When it was Carol’s turn we got the same good news. Carol told the judge “Thank You” and we got out of there.

When we got to the hallway, I said “Well Screw Me” with a big smile. Her smile was even bigger. We guessed that the officer did not show up, but still Carol stood her ground. I was real proud of her.

When I got back to work and started relaying the story to my prosecutor friends, I was truly amazed by the theme. These are people who make a living putting people behind bars. They all said “Good For Her” pleased that she stood up for herself. Plus everyone loves a “got out of a ticket story”.

Way to go Carol!