|
I usually request trial by written declaration. It tells about it on the back of your ticket somewhere.
I got a cell phone ticket, and actually just went to court yesterday to request a TBD. Basically you pay your bail, and they give you some time to fill out your statement.
You can either mail or hand in your statement.
If you don't feel comfortable doing it, there's many services out there that will charge you about $100- to file it for you. (search mr. ticket)
What you have going for you is that the cops get paid more to be in court on the days they assign you, so there's a good chance they will be there.
With a TBD, they have to fill out paperwork, and often they may not even send it in.
If you are found innocent, then you will get your bail amount sent back to you.
if you are guilty, you can still appeal it and fight it in court.
This is how I understand it anyway. Over the last 10 years or so, I've gotten found innocent on 3 speeding tickets. We'll see what happens with this cell phone ticket.
You can find a lot of info online about it. It's intimidating, but it's pretty easy. You just fill out the form explaining that you are not guilty without incriminating yourself, and send it in. It usually takes about 3 months to get a verdict.
|