Posted on 07/18/2010 3:45:36 PM PDT by ComeCulturedGirl
My girl friend need helps. But I don't know how to help her. her brother (35 yo) got a ticket for "unlawful posession of illegal fireworks" on Jul 4. he went to the court , the judge told him to get a lawyer (his income is a little bit too high to get a public defender). it costs $2000 for lawyer. it's rediculous to spend $2000 for having fun with fireworks on Jul 4. the lawyer said, he can pledge on his own at court, but if what ever he says do not make sense, he will go jail for 90 days plus a big fine. it's the first time he got a silly ticket like that . I would appreciate if any one could give me an idea.
I just realized what your real problem is:
YOU are a nOOb.
Your question didn’t make sense culturally, for FR.
35 eh? Old enough to know better.
When I was about 17 I obtained a copy of the Texas State Penal Code and read it cover to cover.
It has all the state criminal laws, punishments and fines spelled out in plain English.
Can’t say I always stayed strictly within the law as a young man *but* there was no mistake what would happen were I to end up with a ticket or a pair of handcuffs.
And by the way, whenever someone we knew got arrested or ticketed, it was invariably something stupid (like your friend).
We always heaped humiliation and scorn on them. And any whining only increased our volume of ridicule.
Tell the friend to pay the fine, do the jail time and stop blubbering about it.
Tell him to hire a lawyer, pay the fine and then grow up.
Very bad Karma for a nOOb to snap back at Freepers who are oldtimers.
Give it up. You associate yourself with known criminals and it may be you can’t be trusted. /s
Love it!
nOOb manure...
My son’s neighbors called the cops after he lit off one pack of firecrackers. The uptight woman came out of her house and chewed the kid and his friends out so they stopped.
1/2 hour later the cop knocks on the door. They told him what happened and cop said, “good thing you quit” then walked off.
That is too funny. LOL
For the judge to tell him to get a lawyer is a bad sign. Some judges are cordial to the idea of self-defense, believing that considerable latitude for a non-lawyer defending himself restores a lot of integrity to the system.
However, this judge does not seem to be one of them.
So in this case, a lawyer would be appropriate. But that being said, while the cost of a lawyer is high, it may be necessary to make the price even higher by reviewing what the attorney plans *before* he presents it. This can avoid truly unpleasant surprises.
I mean this with great seriousness. To pay a lawyer $2000, then have him stand up, plead you guilty, and ask for leniency, is a waste of your money. He is slumming. No way he deserves two grand for ten minutes of work, if you get nothing out of the deal.
But far too often this is the case. Especially with public defenders who are always very overbooked. They often do not care about the defendant, only concluding the case quickly. Win or lose they still get paid. Falling behind schedule and they might not.
Between the two of you, if you want half a chance, you had better dream up a Plan ‘A’, Plan ‘B’, Plan ‘C’, and even Plan ‘X’, if everything goes very, very wrong. And sometimes things do go wrong.
For example, a slip of the tongue, and a person could face a felony, instead of a misdemeanor. Likewise, if he has an ill temper, there could be a contempt of court citation for infractions like bad appearance or dress, speaking out of turn, standing or remaining seated inappropriately, etc.
Some judges are firm believers in involuntary servitude, aka “community service”, of their choice, and this can be damnable, especially if it involves hard labor outside during the summer. So he should be prepared to have a “justified disability”, that is, a doctor’s note, if he is in the slightest infirm.
On that same subject, if he requires expensive medical care, that his jailer would have to cough up, it is a very good reason for them to not send a person to jail. Yes, money matters far more than justice.
If the defendant is of quick tongue or short temper, it is not a bad idea for him to take a tranquilizer before appearing in court. It worked for O.J., who had enough drugs in him to sedate a rhino.
Police officers often do not want to waste time testifying in court over petty matters, and this is the easiest dismissal around if they don’t show up. If they do show up, if the lawyer can somehow, anyhow get a continuance, there is a second chance that they won’t show up. again.
They drive Saabs and love euorweenie culture too.
I get everything except the mistress thing. Let’s leave her out of this. Your list was already extensive. /s
Find a cheaper lawyer, plead out and pay fine. In jersey we plead to lesser charges all the time. All the prosecution cares about is the win....regardless if its illegal fireworks plead down to a seat belt ticket. A win is a win
If pleading guilty gets him anything more than a small fine he’d probably be wise to get a lawyer.
That’s twitting language structure for cultured twits.
(and yes, I am giving you a nOOb welcome. Happens to everyone and will probably happen, by other Freepers, for the rest of the day now that I let the cat out of the bag)
What means this?
What means this?
He should claim they were undocumented fireworks, not illegal.
Well, it sounds nasty to me. But, that’s the way my mind works.
There is an easy answer to that. Be an LEO and confiscate some illegal fireworks. You'd be in lawful posession of illegal goods (until you transfer them off of your hands.)
Your girlfriend’s brother sounds a lot like that Lindsey Lohan character. He’s a spoiled brat who thinks the law doesn’t apply to him. Whadya mean he “forgot” the fireworks are illegal? Did he have a lobotomy or something? A few months in the county jail will make a man out of him er...I mean, it’ll set him straight..er... I mean, he’ll learn his lesson.
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