Court fail
Just got back from Gilbert, where I was called into court about a standing/parking violation from back in march. First, let me say that I haven't left phoenix since I moved out here in the middle of last November, and second that I was at work during the time I was supposedly parked illegally in Gilbert. So, taking a letter written from the book keeper at work, I went to the court expecting to have the judge to completely dismiss the case, as I'm obviously not responsible for whatever ticket was written (which, I should also mention totals almost a thousand dollars).
So I get into the courthouse ready to present this letter I have and explain that this ticket couldn't possibly be for me, that the officer what wrote it must have taken down the wrong information. In speaking to the Judge, I learn that the vehicle that was ticketed didn't have a license plate, any registration, only a VIN number. When I asked for a description of the vehicle, he told me, "Red Chevy pickup truck."
Fuck.
I explained to him that I don't currently own a red Chevy pickup truck, but I did a few years ago. I owned it for maybe six months before I sold it for $500. The Judge tells me I can either pay the fines, or dispute the ticket, in which case a hearing date will then be set and I can appear in court AGAIN to argue there. I can't even do the whole defensive driving class thing because the ticket is a Standing violation, not a Moving violation.
Since I don't have neither a reason nor the resources to pay the fees, I told the Judge I would contest the ticket at a Hearing. The Hearing date is July 30th. Now, I have to find some way to prove that I sold the truck. This is a problem, since I handed over the Title of the vehicle to the buyer on the spot, after having it notarized by someone at the Chase Bank across the street from where I sold the truck. I went to the bank to see if they could help me with this somehow, but without an exact date that it was notarized on I'm shit out of luck. Even if I HAD the exact date the Title was notarized, they might have had any number of notaries working that day, and any one of them might have been the one that helped me.
So my best bet now is to gather whatever witnesses I can to the purchase of that damn truck. My mother, who was living with me at the time and saw me leave with a truck and come back with $500 is one. Another is Ian, who helped me tow the truck to the parking lot in front of Bookman's where it was sitting with the "For Sale" sign on it. Next, Billy, who helped me with all kinds of aspects with that truck, and who I paid back with most of the money I made by selling it (He had purchased some parts for it on the trip to Payson we took the weekend after I bought it). Who else...? Steve and Jared saw the truck, and Steve offered to lend me his digital camera to sell it online, so he knows I was trying to sell it, even if I didn't follow through on that particular plan. I suppose I might be able to ask my neighbor at the time in question, since he couldn't help but notice the truck, though I doubt he remembers much about it by now.
Still though... I sold that fucking truck, and now it seems the person I sold it to never got it registered in their name. I'm not surprised, to be honest. The thing had the mufflers cut off just past the headers, and half of the reason I wanted to sell the thing was because it would never pass emissions without some pretty major work. But the son of a bitch seems to have just abandoned it on the side of the road, and now I'm being ticketed because the DMV says it's still in my name.
Again, fuck.
So I get into the courthouse ready to present this letter I have and explain that this ticket couldn't possibly be for me, that the officer what wrote it must have taken down the wrong information. In speaking to the Judge, I learn that the vehicle that was ticketed didn't have a license plate, any registration, only a VIN number. When I asked for a description of the vehicle, he told me, "Red Chevy pickup truck."
Fuck.
I explained to him that I don't currently own a red Chevy pickup truck, but I did a few years ago. I owned it for maybe six months before I sold it for $500. The Judge tells me I can either pay the fines, or dispute the ticket, in which case a hearing date will then be set and I can appear in court AGAIN to argue there. I can't even do the whole defensive driving class thing because the ticket is a Standing violation, not a Moving violation.
Since I don't have neither a reason nor the resources to pay the fees, I told the Judge I would contest the ticket at a Hearing. The Hearing date is July 30th. Now, I have to find some way to prove that I sold the truck. This is a problem, since I handed over the Title of the vehicle to the buyer on the spot, after having it notarized by someone at the Chase Bank across the street from where I sold the truck. I went to the bank to see if they could help me with this somehow, but without an exact date that it was notarized on I'm shit out of luck. Even if I HAD the exact date the Title was notarized, they might have had any number of notaries working that day, and any one of them might have been the one that helped me.
So my best bet now is to gather whatever witnesses I can to the purchase of that damn truck. My mother, who was living with me at the time and saw me leave with a truck and come back with $500 is one. Another is Ian, who helped me tow the truck to the parking lot in front of Bookman's where it was sitting with the "For Sale" sign on it. Next, Billy, who helped me with all kinds of aspects with that truck, and who I paid back with most of the money I made by selling it (He had purchased some parts for it on the trip to Payson we took the weekend after I bought it). Who else...? Steve and Jared saw the truck, and Steve offered to lend me his digital camera to sell it online, so he knows I was trying to sell it, even if I didn't follow through on that particular plan. I suppose I might be able to ask my neighbor at the time in question, since he couldn't help but notice the truck, though I doubt he remembers much about it by now.
Still though... I sold that fucking truck, and now it seems the person I sold it to never got it registered in their name. I'm not surprised, to be honest. The thing had the mufflers cut off just past the headers, and half of the reason I wanted to sell the thing was because it would never pass emissions without some pretty major work. But the son of a bitch seems to have just abandoned it on the side of the road, and now I'm being ticketed because the DMV says it's still in my name.
Again, fuck.