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Author Topic: Man Pays Court Fine with 8200 Coins Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-02-2004 09:34 PM                     From the Salt Lake Trib... What cop in his right mind would ticket someone for one headlight out??? Had to be Barney..... http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2476994 Mark Manti man pays his fine with 8,200 pennies A Manti man who paid an $82 fine with a bucket full of pennies has been asked to come back into the Sanpete County Justice Court and pay in paper. But Grant Petersen said he probably will not comply. The way he figures it, pennies are still legal tender. "I paid the fine," Petersen said. "I wasn't planning on going back into court to pay a different way." Petersen, a clerk at Wal-Mart, acknowledged he was a bit put off when the court fined him $82 for driving with a burned out headlight. To get in his 2 cents worth with the court, he went to his bank and withdrew the 8,200 coins. Then he went to the court. A few days later, he received a letter from the court clerk asking him to submit a more "acceptable" form of payment. Utah state court spokeswoman Nancy Volmer said state policy allows court clerks to reject "unusual forms of payment." "It's going to take time for someone to sit down and count that," Volmer said. "We don't have the resources to do that, especially in small rural areas." Petersen, though, figures his reading of federal law trumps the court policy. In rejecting the court's plea for paper payment, he's relying on Title 31 of the U.S. Code, which states, "United States coins and currency are legal tender for all debts [and] public charges." - Matthew D. LaPlante  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 12-02-2004 10:05 PM                        Heck, I've been ticketed for having a headlight out here. All I had to do was get it fixed and show it to a police officer, have him endorse the citation, then mail it in to the court. No fine unless it wasn't fixed within a certain time period. Like the idea of paying a disputed fine with pennies. If the payment is rejected, it would make for an enjoyable court fight in and of itself. I'd do it just to watch the various civil "servant" reactions.  |  IP: Logged Ben Holley Film Handler Posts: 65 From: Texas Registered: Feb 2004 posted 12-02-2004 11:40 PM                    someone in my town paid a speeding ticket with a fake hundred dollar bill, he was then immediantly arrested and more fake money was found in his wallet, sheeesh  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 12-03-2004 12:04 AM                       quote: Mark Gulbrandsen What cop in his right mind would ticket someone for one headlight out??? What Paul said. Yep, it happens all the time. In big trucks, we have to constantly watch for a lot of little things that we can get big fines for. Stuff like marker and clearance lights out, mud flap damage, small windshield cracks, bridge law: legal distance between trailer tandems and kingpin while maintaining proper axle weight (and which differs from state to state, btw), infinite possibilities of logbook violations, and the list goes on...  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-03-2004 01:38 AM                        Maybe the guy already had had a warning. If so, the ticket was deserved. Or, maybe the guy would have gotten a warning but chose to be a smartass to the cop. Having one headlight out means you can only see half as much; AND, a drunk driver coming the other way might think you're a motorcycle and cut you a little too close.  |  IP: Logged Mike Bianchi Film Handler Posts: 40 From: Independence, KY, USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-03-2004 03:19 AM                        Being a cop, I can say there probably was some extenuating circumstance to get cited for the headlight - but there are more Barney's out there than I care to admit. Typically, 1-headlight stops are purely to see if the driver is drunk. If he's sober, he gets a pat on the arse and a warning to get the headlight fixed. So, he probably had prior warnings or acted like a jerk to the cop. Being a smart-aleck, I love it that he paid in pennies. I did the same thing once. The sanitation department lost my check, admitted that they lost it, but still disconnected my water service. The fee was $25 to have the water turned back on. I exhausted all appeals to management up to the top dog. They all admitted that they lost the check, but said there was nothing they could do about the $25. So, I dutifully paid the $25 in pennies. I had to sit out in their lobby for 2 hours while they counted them. I was really ticked off, so I actually paid $26 is pennies. They counted them all twice, hehehe, and then gave me 100 pennies back. It was well-worth the two hour wait!  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 12-03-2004 06:08 AM                        quote: Mike Bianchi Being a cop Then you will certainly appreciate this picture.  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-03-2004 06:58 AM                        A red sports car magnetizes the police. A red sports car with an out-state (or even out-of county) tag works even better. Tickets for equipment violations like a headlight or tail light out usually mean you only pay a fine if you don't have it fixed & show proof at the courthouse. But you're a sure bet to pay the fine if you're cited & are not likely to be driving back to Tuttifrutti TexaMinneKansas. quote: Mike Bianchi Being a cop, I can say there probably was some extenuating circumstance to get cited for the headlight - but there are more Barney's out there than I care to admit. The extenuating circumstance can be cop boredom. I was driving in a Chrysler Newport around 3 a.m. Sunday morning on a 2 lane rural highway when a car got right behind me with its headlights on bright. Slowed down to 5 mph under the limit so he could get around, he stayed there for another 4 minutes. Slowed another 5 mph, the flashing lights came on. "See your license, please step out of the car." "What's wrong?" "Driving sort of slow, aren't you Mr. Hooper?" This the time you know to say nothing. "Please blow into this. Stay here, please." Saunters back to his car, comes back, "Would you touch you nose like this?" Two more police cars roll up, "Would you stay here, pleas." They get out & start socializing by the 1st police car. 1st one comes back "I want you to walk down this center line, with your arms out." "Wait here please." Sounds of chat from police at the car behind. "Okay Mr. Hooper. You can get back in your car. I'm going to give you this ticket because you've got a tail light out. Have a nice morning." They all drive away. I get out, look at the back of the car, all the lights are OK. "Barneys" may be a police euphemism for cops with personality & social problems that make them need to abuse their positions & citizens, but I prefer the term that a newcaster I knew called them: "Little Hitlers".  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 12-03-2004 07:15 AM                     I got a ticket 120 feet from my home in Atlanta once. I started the car, pulled out of my space, and got the blue light. He told me that I had a headlight that was ABOUT to burn out. My question? How did he see my headlight? He was behind me, and I was heading away from him on the street. I fought the ticket and it was dropped. Still pissed me off. Plus: There was nothing wrong with any of my headlights.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-03-2004 11:17 AM                    Obviously he was out to get you or was trying to make a quota. Don't they have to list the traffic or vehicle code violation on the citation? Even if via mental telepathy he was able to detect that a headlight he could not see was about to fail, what law were you allegedly in violation of? Did the arresting officer show up in court? The judge should have cited him for making a frivolous charge.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-03-2004 03:09 PM                     About 2 years ago I got pulled over by a Texas State Trooper and given a $90 ticket for not wearing my seatbelt. The guy pulls me over, walks up and asks for my driver's license and insurance (which I provide immediately.) I ask "what seems to be the problem?" "You aren't wearing your seatbelt." I look down at my seatbelt, fastened, that has been that way since I left the house. Then look back up at him, back at the seatbelt, then back at him. "Excuse me sir, but I am wearing my seatbelt." "Don't get smart with me." He walks back to his car. 5 minutes later he returns and hands me my ID, insurance and a ticket, then babbles on about "you have so many days to go to the courthouse, blah, blah, blah." Then he just walks off. Now bear in mind this was about 1 week after I was pulled over by a cop and given a ticket for speeding. While sometimes I do speed, I was not speeding at that time and there were several other cars FLYING past me, easily 20-30MPH over the limit. Anyway that seat belt thing was the final straw. I no longer give donations to the state trooper association or police funds of any kind. I used to be quite generous to all law enforcement charities (wives of officers killed on the job, etc). No more. Fuck 'em.  |  IP: Logged John Westlund Expert Film Handler Posts: 204 From: Burney, CA, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 12-03-2004 03:25 PM                     Im not a police officer but do have my AA Degree in Crminal Justice Administration and am about to enter the Police Academy. Im not sure about other states but in the California Vehicle Code says that no law enforcement agency can establish an arrest or citation quota. Granted, that if officers don't make arrests or write citations agencies feel they have no reason to keep those officers around. Just something to think about. I hear that all the time from people that have recieved tickets. "He was just trying to fill his quota." California Vehicle Code Section 41602 if anyone wanted to know.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-03-2004 03:29 PM                    Of course there are quotas. Maybe not a certain number (although there have been cases in this area where officers have attested to their superiors specifying a number) but surely certain levels of "productivity" are expected. And it stands to reason that if everyone is obeying the significant laws the more apt one is to get hit with a trivial violation. Or have something invented if the pressure on the officers is enough. I've been thinking that technology has reached the point where for not too much money it would be possible to equip cars with a couple of cheap webcam type video cameras with wide angle lenses looking fore and aft and recording to a harddrive, say the last 10 to 15 minutes or whatever is practical. This to show what happened in an accident. Looks like one inside the cabin will be needed too. With audio.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 12-03-2004 06:56 PM                     There are no written quotas, at least not in Wisconsin. However, I am told that if you don't have a certain amount of 'activity' suspicions start to arise about whether or not you were doing your job. Lots of open road/country here that an officer could pull over and get a good nap.  |  IP: Logged Wolff King Morrow Master Film Handler Posts: 490 From: Denton, TX, USA Registered: Feb 2004 posted 12-04-2004 10:50 AM                        Years ago when I still lived in California, I was given a ticket as an 8-year-old boy for "walking my bike on the wrong side of the road". Keep in mind I was in a residential suburb attempting to read the house numbers in order to find my friend's house. I was forced to go to court, upon which the judge yelled at me and gave me the maximum fine and assigned me traffic school. Again, an 8-year-old kid walking his bike, yet I was treated like a dirtbag hardened criminal. To date that is the only citation I have ever been given in my entire life.  |  IP: Logged

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