got a ticket a few weeks back for a u-turn. the cop gives me the ticket and it has no price on it.

"well, how much is it? there's no price."

"you find out when you go to court"

"court? can't i just pay it?"

"yes. in about a week you can go pay it."

"can i go to traffic school instead?"

"probaly, but you have to go to court to find out."

so last night (6-30) i lose a couple hours work to go to the court house. they put me in line to get my court papers. there aren't any. they put me in another line to check my name on it. it's not there. they send me across the street to the main court house to talk to them. after some searching and computer work they find out i should have been there that morning. my ticket clearly states 7:00 pm.

"but don't worry they probaly haven't put a bench warrant out on you yet."

!!! "uh, well thank you i appreciate your telling me that."

after more paperwork (since they can't find the records) i'm paying $69.55 which i find out would have been $25 less if i had come in before the court date. i never had to wait to go to court to go to traffic school.

"can i use my bank card?"

"uh, can you write a check?"

"ok"

i write a check. she looks at it.

"i can't accept this check."

"?"

it happens that my bank was taken over by another one so even though i still use the checks, they don't match the bank name. they don't like that.

"can you use your card?"

"uh,yeah?" notice that i don't tell her i wanted to do that in the first place. it dosen't pay to rile a counter clerk. they tend to disapear and take long breaks. perhaps they go to lunch.

"that will add about $9 to the cost."

"hmm..well maybe i should just walk down to the money machine and get the cash".

"ok, and we'll be right here".

10 or 15 minutes later i'm back. she's gone and only one window is open. i'm the next person in line and it still takes about ten minutes to get to a window when some one else comes back. not the original woman so she has to find the papers, and my copy of the ticket is missing. another 10-15 minutes and i'm gone but i will have to pay $15 more to go to traffic school.

i bet you thought the money was the penulty for vehicle violations.

Been there, done that. Napoleon, Oh. 2 years ago last December. 79 in a 55 in a big truck. Turns out they lost the copy of the ticket and the cop didn't show up for court. 6 hours in court just so they could dismiss it. Don'tcha just love the Buckeye?

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Dave-
Grape Ape ('85GT)

Ok I live at 40th and Plumb.
That is Kansas 40 mile plumb out in the sticks.
Anyway I was told by a State Trooper if you get a ticket and it has the costs listed on it, Send the fine in and add like $1.50 to it. Do not say anything about it just add it to your fine. Per the trooper most states do not have the capability in their system to make refunds, so it marks your fine as paid but also puts it in a hold catagory that will not show up on your driving record or get reported to your insurance company, because it cannot leave that office. It actually screws up their system real good, but you are in the clear because you have your cancelled check???

OK this is Kansas and this is all hearsay, ????? It has been guite a while since I have gotten a ticket? But I do intend to try it next time. Just something that sounds like FUN that I thought I would try I guess if I get a $1.50 refund from the state, it didn't work??

He (the Trooper) also said it worked the other way, if you short them?? My luck that would generate the Bench Warrent

Hay I don't make this stuff up! ??? WELL?