Tiny Paranoid Brandice
In May, I got a speeding ticket. I was driving 60 in a 45. The Police Officer said, “Your court date is set for June 23. I can’t change that date for you, but if you call this number, they can extend it for you”
I was a little bummed that I got a ticket, but realized I shouldn’t have been speeding in the first place. Before I go on, I’d like to say that I don’t expect to receive special treatment. However, clear communication is very helpful.
I called last week to see if I could have my court date extended. Turns out I was misinformed by the officer. They can’t really do that. I asked her why he would tell me that and she said, “I don’t know.”
Since I planned on just paying the ticket, and not going to Driving School, I called again yesterday to find out what I needed to do to pay the ticket. I had also lost my copy of the ticket so I wanted to make sure I didn’t need anything special once I got there. I said, I will be there today (Monday) or tomorrow (scheduled court date.)
First, my ticket was filed under my Maiden name. If I had not pressed her to look further, I would have thought it was thrown out, and there would be a warrant out for my arrest right now. Second, she told me that I didn’t need to see the Judge if I just wanted to pay the ticket. She told me it wouldn’t take long, and I said, “Good, because my kids will probably be with me.”
This morning, I took Zoe to the doctor for a check up. After they gave her shots, we were on our way to the Municipal Court Building to pay my ticket. When I found a parking space, and got Zoe out of the car it was a little after 9AM.
Then I tried to give my money to the lady behind the glass and she said, “No. You have to see the Judge if you wait till your court date.”
“Ummmm…Why didn’t someone tell me that YESTERDAY WHEN I CALLED UP HERE AND ASKED WHAT THE PROCESS WOULD BE TO JUST. PAY. THE. TICKET.”
“I don’t know. You can go in the Court Room and ask her to give you the ticket and just bring it back in here to pay it.”
So, I walk to the courtroom. On the courtroom door was a sign that said, “NO CHILDREN ALLOWED IN COURTROOM.” Neat. I Walked up front and asked if I could do what the lady at the desk said…
“No, if you wait till your court date, you have to see the judge.”
“Why would she tell me I could ask for it then?”
“I don’t know.”
So, I walk to the back of the courtroom. I stand there and wonder how long it’s going to take before Zoe gets cranky. I didn’t get her diaper bag out of the car because I wasn’t planning on being in there very long. It was then that I notice that the Judge wasn’t even in the courtroom. Everything was at a standstill. I thought about running to the car, but I was sure that they would call my name right when I left. Silly, silly assumptions.
The judge finally came back in around 10 o’clock. I guess it must have been around 10:30 when he took another break. This time, I ran to the car. Zoe was hungry. Also, in her eyes, a complete stranger had just held her down and stabbed her in both legs. So, she was a little grumpy.
My mother called about that time, and let me know she was on her way to the courthouse. I knew what was about to happen. She was going to walk in there, and see if she could get this whole situation moving faster. I got back in the courthouse and sat down, when I saw my mother enter in through the “Court Personnel Only” door. I watched her walk up to some women, start asking questions, and then begin to shake her head in a “oh well” kind of way.
She sat down, and made some comments about the system, and some people sitting beside me laughed and sort of “Amened” her. Then, she took Zoe back to Ben for me. Oh yeah, Ben stayed home today so that I could run my errands that weren’t suppose to take that long.
I sat and watched people go before the judge. I heard about Marajuana possession, along with drug paraphonailia. I heard how, it was EVERYONE’S first offense and listened to these lawyers plead for a second chance. I watched mothers stand behind their grown children and hope that the judge will let her child off this time. I listed to the Judge yell at these people and let them know that our court wasn’t going to be letting this type of thing slide anymore, as he he gave them a second chance.
Meanwhile, a lady sitting by me is calling everyone and their mother a “B-Word.” I mean, this lady moaned the whole time. She had something to say about everyone. Except the Judge, he had given her “chance after chance.”
Then a few girls got called up there. They had actually missed their first court date, and there had been warrants out for their arrest. Then, I had an anxiety attack. I just knew when I stood before that Judge he was going to inform me that I had missed my first court date.
I’m sure you’ve seen cartoons where the tiny angel is on one shoulder and the tiny devil is on the other. Well, tiny sane Brandice was on one shoulder and tiny paranoid Brandice was on my other shoulder. It went something like this..
“They would have told you when you called about the ticket yesterday if there was a warrant out for your arrest.”
“They didn’t tell me anything else I needed to know yesterday. Unless I thought to ask if there was a warrant, then I highly doubt they would have told me ANYTHING. Besides, it’s easier to arrest someone when they dont know they have warrants out for their arrest.”
“Yes, but you know for sure that your court date was today. You wrote it down in three places immediately.”
“This is me we’re talking about! I write the wrong thing down all the time! He’s going to have me arrested. I’m going to spend the next 30 days in jail and I’m going to have to work at the Recyling building to pay all my fines. My children will forget who I am, and my husband will meet someone else!”
The “B-Word Lady” was finally before the judge. He didn’t give her anymore chances and he told her he was going to “lock her up for the next 4 days.” I guess 4 days in jail equals 2 days in the Recycling building.
I decided that I would ask if I could go to driving school once I got up there. I just couldn’t figure out how to approach him on this. I had been watching him. People with tickets would walk up there, he would say, “How do you plead?” They would say, “Guilty.” Then he would send them on their way to pay. I kept thinking if I asked him about driving school, then he might get all “Judge Judy” on me. Tell me not to speak unless spoken to. After yelling at some other people, he finally called my name. He said..
“Mrs. TheBoss, you have a speeding violation. You don’t have anything on your record. You have 3 options today. You can plead guilty and pay $149, you can plead not guilty and I will schedule the trial or you can go to driving school.”
I said something along the lines of, “Word.”
This is what you need to know if you get a ticket:
1. You can pay your ticket at anytime BEFORE your scheduled court date and NOT have to sit in court till 3PM.
2. If you wait till the court date, you have to see the judge.
3. Apparently, at our Municipal Court Building they have a STRICT “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy. If you don’t ask them specifics, they will not volunteer additional helpful information to you. AND there is NOTHING you can do about it.
I didn’t eat all day, and I’ve on;y had coffee to drink. Ben went to work when I got home. I hope there are not lots of grammatical and spelling errors. Just keep them to yourself if there are. I’m not in the mood.
Holla.
