Well yesterday I had my first experience with the downtown courthouse and i'm here to vent. This all started when the speeding 'task' force in all their glory pulled me over for going 49 in a 40 on Allen Parkway in their assembly line of tickets. I then recieved a ticket for an Obstructed License Plate, though it was just the Mercedes North Plate covers. The Cypresswood courthouse (the majority of my tickets for the last few years) allows two weeks after the court date to show up. I show up before the court date to a line of about 80 people, so I come back a few days later (3 days after my court date) and am told I have three warrants for my arrest. Failure to Appear/Obstructed License Plate/Speeding. I then post bond to get another court date and have to put up $600 in cash to the court to re-schedule. So my court date finally arrives yesterday. I arrive early to the court room, yet the line is done in alphabetical order even for people that show up late wasting more of my time. I then ask the judge for deferred adjudication (probation) and he said the options are defensive driving, guilty or not guilty. I then state to him that it is one of my options the law allows me. He then states "Ok sure..then pay $150 for court costs plus a $100 fine for the failure to appear plus $75 in additional court costs, and your probation time is 120 Days !!!!!!" They also then told me that they didn't have my Obstructed license plate case ready so they would call me and I had to come back. I then asked him to dismiss it because they didn't have it which he wouldn't. What kind of BULLS*IT is that??? I pay $600 to the court to change a court date and they don't even have my second ticket ready and want me to come back!?! He said I could just plead guilty and pay $125 but b/c they don't have it I can't contest it now?!?! WTF is that? And they don't allow you to speak or comment or ask a GD question. If you want that you have to re-schedule or come back later. I then see the judge talking to a few people that said they couldn't pay and gave them community service. When I asked about it because I do a good deal of charity work anyway, he said sorry it wasn't for me. I think maybe this city budget shortfall is making the courts be aggressive with people they know can pay and gouging them because they can't come back 10 times over some crap and would rather just pay a few hundred dollars. I tried to go myself instead of hiring a lawyer, which I probably shouldn't have done. From a legal standpoint if they're not prepared is that my fault and why should I have to go back?!?! Then to get my money back from the bond-court costs etc I have to wait in a cashier line for 30 minutes, then a parking ticket line for 20 minutes next to a bunch of people that smelled like they haven't taken a shower in a week. Two and a Half Hours Wasted. $325 Paid, plus I have to come back.
That's bull****. I had a judge tell me that if I got deferred adjudication, then I'd have to take defensive driving as well. I couldn't pay at the time, so they moved my court date back. When I came the next time, I had a different judge, asked for deferred adjudication and received it with no problems, and didn't have to take defensive driving on top of it. Appears at the very least, there are some consistency problems here.
I truly believe that the court tries to make these scenarios so people that can pay will just do so to compensate for those who can't pay. Then they are coddled and given community service etc. I don't mind paying a court cost, but excessive costs when I have to come back later because of their unorganization and incompetence is just revolting.
I've never had a problem there, although I always take defensive driving because. For anything other than speeding tickets, definitely hire a lawyer. They're not even that expensive.
Of course, if you would not have been speeding, didn't have the license plate obstructed or show up after the court date, you wouldn't have to worry about any of this. The not having the case ready is bull**** though.
I thought this was a thread about the basketball courts around Toyota Center...I mean, sure there's a few homeless people around, but "hellhole" seems a little harsh.
wow.. I'm not in texas at the moment but will be back again this summer.. they are still enforcing the license plate thing... even if say just part of the top of the t is covered up? I guess I'll probably have to take that plate cover off before I come back
