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Ticket - Failure to Report a Change of Address
Dark Helmet
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I just got pulled over on the way home, and the cop gives me a hard time about my inspection (which is fine, I knew I was taking my chances) - but when he gets back I have on my ticket in addition to the inspection offense:
'Failure to Report a Change Address Within 30 Days'.
I didn't even know there was a law for that! Money is tight, I'm barely making ends meet right now and now I have this to worry about (which happens to be a $289 ticket in Texas it seems). So because I didn't go to the courthouse immediately upon moving I am now in deep financial trouble.
But then I got thinking about it. First off, I registered my truck not even 3 months ago in the county I live in currently - which was at the courthouse, which also required me providing up-to-date address information. Secondly, I registered to vote at the courthouse which also required me to update my address information. In other words - I think I did report a change of address, though maybe not deliberately.
Does anyone who has experience on this topic have any input? Am I ok? Or am I getting shafted by a crook and there is nothing I can do?
'Failure to Report a Change Address Within 30 Days'.
I didn't even know there was a law for that! Money is tight, I'm barely making ends meet right now and now I have this to worry about (which happens to be a $289 ticket in Texas it seems). So because I didn't go to the courthouse immediately upon moving I am now in deep financial trouble.
But then I got thinking about it. First off, I registered my truck not even 3 months ago in the county I live in currently - which was at the courthouse, which also required me providing up-to-date address information. Secondly, I registered to vote at the courthouse which also required me to update my address information. In other words - I think I did report a change of address, though maybe not deliberately.
Does anyone who has experience on this topic have any input? Am I ok? Or am I getting shafted by a crook and there is nothing I can do?
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Yea, weirdly dick move by the cop, but legal none the less. Get it changed ASAP, go to court and show them, and you should be able to get out of paying the fine.
This is what I thought as well. Do you have a license with your new address? This can be done online, so there's really no excuse for not doing it.
And yes, he specifically mentioned the driver's license. He asked me where I lived and all that when he pulled me over, I thought he was making chit-chat. Turns out he was just trying to find a way to screw me over I guess?
I'll see about updating my information online if possible but so far all I have found is a website that allows me to download the form and fill it out and mail it.
I'm hoping I get a judge with more generosity than what the officer possessed.
And my poor Death Knight that couldn't afford an icon.
What he really wanted was for you to get mad and get out of the car so he could repeatedly use a cattleprod on your balls. A police officer who initiates contact with you is out to get something, but usually they'll take anything you give them, they aren't your friend.
If you initiate contact it's usually(but not always!) the other way around.
https://www.texasonline.state.tx.us/tolapp/txdl/welcome.dl
Usually cops/troopers give warnings for stuff like this unless they're already writing you a ticket for something else or the jurisdiction is trying to use traffic citations as a source of revenue.
Yeah, that's fantastic. In these difficult times that affect us all, you don't come together and help each other. No, no - the trick is to prey on each other. I've read some news about some unscrupulous jurisdictions using what I consider to be nothing more than legal highway banditry to provide income during this recession. Just hoped it was few and far between.
God please let me get off without a $289 ticket.
And my poor Death Knight that couldn't afford an icon.
Right now, do it.
Your case will get dismissed if you immediately fix the problem.
I had expired tags, license, and insurance, which is something I could have EASILY been taken to jail for. Took care of it the day after getting ticketed for all three, and on my court date the judge dismissed it specifically because I took care of it right away. She did that for everyone else who did too.
If you don't do it immediately, but take care of it before a court date, you still won't be fined, but you'll pay court fees, which will still be roughly 200-250ish.
This is all based on what happens in Hillsborough county if Florida though, you may be different.
I intend to have my truck inspected and then run over to the DMV first thing Monday morning.
And my poor Death Knight that couldn't afford an icon.
he didn't dismiss the ticket, but he lowered it to court fees which in my court district were pretty low, $125
Uh, he was checking that the details they have on you are correct and accurate.
I mean, it sucks and I feel sorry for you but there's a reason they need to have the correct address registered for your drivers licence and you should have known that you need to update those details with them when you move.
Update your details, apologise politely to the judge, don't act like you're being victimised and preyed on by a corrupt police state, you broke the law and the judge isn't likely to be lenient if you try to act like the ticket wasn't justified.
I guess the difference with mine was there was no fine on my ticket. All I got was the tickets, and the police officer told me the court would decide what I had to pay. I suppose if there's a written amount on the ticket you can't get out of it as easily.
At least you got your court fees lowered, judges usually try to help out the people who fix their problems.
Also... don't ever rely on the "cop not showing up" defense. That's overtime for them, and you can bet your ass they'll be there 99 times out of 100.
Oh, trust me - I'm no fool when it comes to standing tall before the man. I will be minding all my P's and Q's. I'll be making it a point to dress appropriately and ensure I am presentable. The judge will be available Wednesday, I intend to ask if a payment plan can be made available as I am unemployed and have a limited source of income. If that doesn't soften anyone's heart to my situation then at least I wind up with the ability to pay off the three hundred dollars over time.
And yeah, I was still at bit fuming over it all when I got pulled over. The fact of the matter is I didn't know I had to report to Big Brother when ever I decide to make a change in my life. Hell, I didn't even know there was a Big Brother! That's why they have small print in things I guess, devil's in the details.
When I stopped by today to find out about a good court date, I got a vibe from there that I am not going to get off without having to pay. Maybe I'm just being a pessimist, but I just don't see it ending well for me. People seemed too matter-of-fact about their business, no real interaction with anyone.
But at least my information and inspection are now up to date! /forced smile
And my poor Death Knight that couldn't afford an icon.
If you demonstrate that you're an upstanding citizen and you correct your mistakes, you're already 10 steps ahead of everyone else around you in there, and it's been my experience with my two traffic violations that judges really appreciate that.
The Judge waived the $289 fine. But I had to pay a $117 court fee for each offense.
So I have to shell out $234 in the end, kind of a hollow victory but it could have been much worse. What rubs me the wrong way though was the guy who was before me was a complete asshole and dressed like a pig - hell he even would occasionally snort! Fucker got off with less of a fine for having his dog running amok in his neighborhood. Here I was hoping being well dressed and respectful would save the day. /sigh
And my poor Death Knight that couldn't afford an icon.