Posted on 11/24/2018 1:38:38 AM PST by dangus
Pray. Ask for prayers. Act prayerfully. Call a local lawyer and ask what groups do pro bono legal aid.
As a police officer... I seriously doubt you will get anything more than a fine... just make sure you give the whole story... that the dealer never stated it was illegal... I don’t think I have EVER seen jail given for such a minor issue.. prayers you don’t have a douche for a judge... keep us in the loop..
Tell your story to the Judge.
In Germany a person can actually file for mercy.
We all make mistakes and this isn’y one that was made with intent. That has to account for something. Prayers up for you.
I have significant experience with the law.
My experience is, it is never NEARLY as bad as you think.
Your mind takes you to San Quentin.
The reality takes you to a suspended sentence and a minor fine.
You’ll be okay. There is very little ‘guilty mind’ here.
You guys used to arrest me a lot. When I cleaned my act up, it slowed down a lot. :)
Prayers up!
First, write a DETAILED account with names, times & dates of all concerned. If you talked this over with your wife, before OR afterwards, get her to write her own statement about what she was told. If you spoke to anyone else about this get them to add their recollections. If you remember something later, add it as a separate addendum.
If you are financially hurting, contact the local Bar Association (Lawyer) for a Pro Bono (free) review and advice. If you can afford it, get from the Bar Association 3 referrals for CRIMINAL LAW attorneys that do free initial consultations. Ask each about success rates and total cost estimates. Interview all 3 and if there are any referrals from friends, interview there as well. KNOWLEDGE IS YOUR FRIEND here, the more you know, the less you fear.
God Bless!
Get hold of a lawyer. Explain the situation straight up to them. I know it is more money out of pocket, but it will likely be money ahead in the long run not to dig a deeper legal hole.
It’s your first offense, an innocent mistake made due to the suggestion of the dealer. Appear in court, explain this, explain your personal situation and ask the court for mercy. Most judges in traffic court aren’t total asses and will either let you go with a fine or dismiss outright.
It’s your first offense, an innocent mistake made due to the suggestion of the dealer. Appear in court, explain this, explain your personal situation and ask the court for mercy. Most judges in traffic court aren’t total asses and will either let you go with a fine or dismiss outright.
Well, I’d love to have him as a witness, but he’s obviously not looking to confess to a crime. I have the payment record, the title, all that.
THANK YOU! That explains why the dealer is ducking. The salesperson has been fired already.
It’s not improper registration; it’s fictitious or fraudulent display of plates. And yes, I did get pulled over (you’d think for DWB if I were black*) and cited.
*He claimed I rolled through a stop sign.)
“Do you have any kind of paperwork from the dealership to support your story?”
It sounds like no dealer paperwork as the deal was done totally “on the side”. And we thought used car salesmen were sleazy in the dealership offices. Turns out they’s scummier when not at work. Who knew?
The dealership would be interested in knowing their salesman isn’t selling their cars, but going rogue to cut deals for themselves ex parte and off the premises.
I don’t know if the dealership could be dragged into this case as partially liable. Probably not.
“They took the plates off of her old car and put them on the new car.”
We’ve relocated several times throughout DH’s career. We learned that all states didn’t have the same laws and procedures. Very confusing.
Transferring plates is perfectly legal and normal here, only issue would be failing to record the transfer in which case the likelihood of being pulled over for improper registration and fictitious plates is high.
>> Tell your story to the Judge. In Germany a person can actually file for mercy. <<
Yes, the law explicitly allows the judge to forgive such a crime. The reason the crime is so severe, I understand, is that there usually is an underlying crime, ranging from MV theft to defrauding the state of registration. (In my case, registration on the plates was up at the end of the month, anyway.)
It’s a common tactic in law enforcement:
Can’t prove when someone is a drug dealer? Make “possession with intent to distribute” a crime.
Can’t prove when someone is a burglar? Prohibit carrying “the tools of an illicit trade” a crime. I had a relative busted for carrying a screwdriver and a flashlight on him!!! Did hard prison time! (He actually was guilty.)
Can’t prove when a man was raped? Make sodomy a crime. (Of course, the Supreme Court threw THAT one out.)
In this case, the state presumes that there was something sinister about swapping plates. Since there wasn’t, the hope is that the judge uses the discretion explicitly given him to discard the whole matter. But nonetheless, it’s a scary proposition.
>> Your mind takes you to San Quentin. <<
I’ve done jail and prison ministry. A prison is vastly preferable to a jail, except for the key fact that it’s reserved for longer sentences.
Yes, of course, but my point is your mind will go to much worse places than reality takes you.
It would be very very very very very wise to get a decent lawyer.
Good luck!
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