traffic ticket in the catskills

[BillyBong]

i was driving in the mountains ( deer park port Jarvis) and got a ticket for "not keeping right". i pleaded not guilty and had a court date scheduled for sep. 13th. since i left the USA on the 5th i called and the court and left a few messages that i'm out of the country and need to reschedule. the judge was only willing to give me a November date however since i will not be returning in the next 6 months or so im in a dilemma. option 1 is to hire a lawyer (dono how much it will cost) option 2 is to plead guilty and pay the fine. when i asked the judge how much will it be, she said $185 ($100 for the violation and $85 ser charge). since i dont care so much about the points on my license (and i have a clean record) i was wondering what should i do. hire a lawyer or just pay the fine? and if i am paying the fine is there a way to remove to ser charge?

[Name Changed]

A lawyer will cost you between $300-$500 + the fees.

Either way if you go to court there is a court fee (even if you plea bargain) unless you come out not guilty

How did you plea not guilty? Did you go down to court and there pleaded ... and then you got the rescheduled court date?

I would recommend just pay - as you wrote you dont care about points, (WHY???)

You could try to just pay the fee and if they request see if they request additional $ for the ser charge

[AJK]

A lawyer will cost you between $300-$500 + the fees.

+1 - perhaps a bit cheaper, maybe, but still more than your $180 total fine.

(Also, just 'cuz its bothering me: it's "surcharge.")

[MnM1130]

+1 - perhaps a bit cheaper, maybe, but still more than your $180 total fine.

(Also, just 'cuz its bothering me: it's "surcharge.")

uhoh.. i was supposed to check the spelling for him.. yikes. but i think its written pretty well for a full fledged israeli!
And i think he does care about the points, but they go away after a period of time and hes prob not gonna b back in the states for a while anyhow...

A lawyer will cost you between $300-$500 + the fees.

Either way if you go to court there is a court fee (even if you plea bargain) unless you come out not guilty

How did you plea not guilty? Did you go down to court and there pleaded ... and then you got the rescheduled court date?

I would recommend just pay - as you wrote you dont care about points, (WHY???)

You could try to just pay the fee and if they request see if they request additional $ for the ser charge

and he pleaded guilty by mail hoping they would let him go...
and agree the lawyer will cost more just pay the ticket and make sure u always keep RIGHT!!

[BillyBong]

A lawyer will cost you between $300-$500 + the fees.

Either way if you go to court there is a court fee (even if you plea bargain) unless you come out not guilty

How did you plea not guilty? Did you go down to court and there pleaded ... and then you got the rescheduled court date?

I would recommend just pay - as you wrote you dont care about points, (WHY???)

You could try to just pay the fee and if they request see if they request additional $ for the ser charge

i sent it in by mail. and i dont care about the points as i dont live in the USA

[Name Changed]

OK... So just pay the fine.... and regarding the surcharge i think $85 is a little steep... usually its much lower... Call them back and try to speak to them, or write a letter

[Hirshthg]

If you have a Israeli license you are better off paying it.

However the problem people always face when they try to "just pay it" is they send a personal check for the full amount. (the only surcharge in this case would be $85, which is included in the amount the court told you, and is the same in every local NYS traffic court.)
The problem is that the Court will not accept the personal check, and if you didn't send them a stamped self addressed envelope, most of them will simply throw the check out...

And being that "you never paid your ticket" after a time, the court will create a phantom suspension against your name and date of birth. So next time you drive in the states not matter how long from now, you can get arrested for driving on a suspended license.

Moral of the story? Make sure you speak with someone who deals with this stuff on a regular basis even if you are just "paying it".