Exhibition ticket for 13 mph

[tt335ci03cobra]

I was at a light ready to run against a z28 in my 03 cobra, I let the z28 leave first for a split second, planted the cobra and started to take off when a Toyato Avalon right behind me with lights only in the grill flipped on the blue and reds. The z was half a car ahead of me and i was going under 15 mph. I left the light at 1800 rpms and did not spin my tires. I let the z get out in front so I could see the look on his face when i blew past him at 30-50 mph but the cop caught me prior to being able to do this. MY question is this, is there any way i can fight this or am i fcked? I'll accept the responsibility either way but i think an exhibition of speed ticket and consequently losing my license is overboard here. The officer literally flashed on the lights before i reached 15 mph. I pulled over and did not have my car towed so i cant say a bad word about the officer, the guy in the z28 took off, 10 seconds later, a durango squad car came flying by at 70+, a ways down the road from pulling back onto the street, i saw the z28 being put on a flat bed. Again, nothing against the officer because they didnt impound my car, but is there any way i can fight this or have i already made my bed so to speak? I'm in SLC, Utah if thats helpful.

 

[WTF]

Being stopped before you could exceed 15mph doesn't mean you weren't going to do it. The race initiation and start was all the LEO needed.

Suxs but the LEO has a strong case. With that take heed of my signature and learn from this mistake. Don't make it so easy to be caught next time. Take it from me - 16 years driving experience but still with a clean record and I'm far from having a halo over my head.

 

[Double"O"]

this thread screams for some smackdown action!!!!!!

 

[Iceman II]

I think I would take an exhibition ticket any day over a felony (racing) go to jail charge. The officer could tear the ticket up and bump it up to a racing charge if he wanted. In fact don't know why he didn't do this to begin with, I think the officer was being too nice.

 

[fiveohpoepoe]

As stated,the speed or lack there of doesnt hold much in this case.You showed the intent to race,so there it is.Being you didnt get your car towed or arrested..Id say you came out smelling like a rose

 

[Maching-U]

What if the OP took off from the light normal. Being the car in the other lane was a sports car and took off like a bat out of hell and the OP's car is also a sports car, but lets say he's not in the mood to be racing. Can the officer still pull over OP for racing or exhibition even though he had no intentions to, YES! He can pretty much give you a few tickets relating to racing, speeding and exhibition. They may or may not hold up in court.
It is then YOUR burden to take a day off work and perhaps hire a lawyer and go to court and TRY to get off on those tickets. When you win, you still lose! (Lost a day of work and had to pay a lawyer) The odds are totally stacked against any motorist. You're pretty much at the mercy of the officer and his pen. Best thing to do is be polite to the officer and tell the truth and hopefully he'll use his discretion and let you go with a warning.

 

[Lt. ZO6]

I was at a light ready to run against a z28 in my 03 cobra

MY question is this, is there any way i can fight this or am i fcked?

I'll accept the responsibility either way

If you were willing to accept responsibility for your actions here, you would not have made this thread.

 

[WTF]

What if the OP took off from the light normal. Being the car in the other lane was a sports car and took off like a bat out of hell and the OP's car is also a sports car, but lets say he's not in the mood to be racing. Can the officer still pull over OP for racing or exhibition even though he had no intentions to, YES! He can pretty much give you a few tickets relating to racing, speeding and exhibition. They may or may not hold up in court.
It is then YOUR burden to take a day off work and perhaps hire a lawyer and go to court and TRY to get off on those tickets. When you win, you still lose! (Lost a day of work and had to pay a lawyer) The odds are totally stacked against any motorist. You're pretty much at the mercy of the officer and his pen. Best thing to do is be polite to the officer and tell the truth and hopefully he'll use his discretion and let you go with a warning.

Exactly what I've always realized too. Whether you're truely innocent, if you win, you still lose. I've said there should be a way to get reimburst for your troubles like counter sue. Oh well perhaps one day.

other ppl are right though. Considering the outcome. The OP should buy that officer a drink. The officer was lenient.

 

[Silver2003Cobra]

sounds to me "guilty before proven innocent" is the rule of law in this case..

 

[lowflyn]

sounds to me "guilty before proven innocent" is the rule of law in this case..

Lol..I dunno about your car but mine is a little louder leaving at WOT versus just cruising off from the redlight.

OP - you got off on this one. I wouldn't even go to court unless it's required, take your slap on the wrists and move on. If you do have to go to court you just plead guilty and ask for leniency. You never know, the officer might take the honesty to heart and help you out even more than he already has.

I can see fighting this turning bad quickly. It doesn't take much for charges to be amended for alot more.

 

[JC_SapphireBlue_GT]

ur lucky he pulled u over before you were doing 100+
cause then u would definitly lose ur license

he cut u a break

 

[tt335ci03cobra]

Thanks for all the input guys, now that ive heard how ugly it could get, ill take the suspended licenese for 60 days and keep my car. As I said, it is true that I was going to race the guy, I'll try and contact the officer to buy her a drink but she's probably 35-40, I'm 19 so that could be a bad choice. All joking aside, thanks again for the input. I was thinking to fight it but knowing they could bump it up to a felony takes that idea right outta my mind.

 

[exdeath]

Being stopped before you could exceed 15mph doesn't mean you weren't going to do it.

I saw Minority Report too.

Fortunately the statutes don't prohibit wanting to do something or going to do something, they prohibit doing it.

The Z28 initiated a race. There was no sign that the OP would have responded other than the assumption he was going to because of the nature of the two cars. OP got off lucky and the cop jumped the gun too soon. That's like trying to arrest someone for prostitution before they accept your money. Move too fast and you lose the case. Oh well lesson learned for both.

Take it to a good lawyer. If you didn't break any statutes, you didn't break any statutes, and that is all that matters in court. The other car took off and you didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Whether you were going to or not or wanted to or not is irrelevant. Except now you have a thread on the internet that is now evidence that you did in fact have intent, so good luck.

.

 

[exdeath]

As stated,the speed or lack there of doesnt hold much in this case.You showed the intent to race,so there it is.Being you didnt get your car towed or arrested..Id say you came out smelling like a rose

Where was the intent shown? There was no WOT, there was no huge launch, or broken traction or any exhibition as defined by the common statutes against it. It was simply assumed there was intent because of the nature of the two cars and ONE of them took off. Had the OP been in a Camry, the car that pulled over the Cobra would have pursued the Z28, there was no indication that the Cobra had any intent to race, other than the admission of the driver after the fact.

 

[DarkSnake]

I was at a light ready to run against a z28 in my 03 cobra, I let the z28 leave first for a split second, planted the cobra and started to take off when a Toyato Avalon right behind me with lights only in the grill flipped on the blue and reds. The z was half a car ahead of me and i was going under 15 mph. I left the light at 1800 rpms and did not spin my tires. I let the z get out in front so I could see the look on his face when i blew past him at 30-50 mph but the cop caught me prior to being able to do this. MY question is this, is there any way i can fight this or am i fcked? I'll accept the responsibility either way but i think an exhibition of speed ticket and consequently losing my license is overboard here. The officer literally flashed on the lights before i reached 15 mph. I pulled over and did not have my car towed so i cant say a bad word about the officer, the guy in the z28 took off, 10 seconds later, a durango squad car came flying by at 70+, a ways down the road from pulling back onto the street, i saw the z28 being put on a flat bed. Again, nothing against the officer because they didnt impound my car, but is there any way i can fight this or have i already made my bed so to speak? I'm in SLC, Utah if thats helpful.

Spend $1500 to $2000 on an attorney and fight it. It sounds like the police officer will have a hard time getting the judge to go with his assessment on this one if he will admit that he pulled you over at under 15 mph and you didn't leave in a cloud of smoke and that the other car left harder and was going faster. This will be good training for the LEO as he will learn when it is appropriate to issue this kind of ticket and when it isn't.

Now of course if you are not being forthright on facts here you may just want to take your licks.

 

[Lt. ZO6]

Where was the intent shown? There was no WOT, there was no huge launch, or broken traction or any exhibition as defined by the common statutes against it.

I was at a light ready to run against a z28 in my 03 cobra, I let the z28 leave first for a split second, planted the cobra and started to take off

Right there in the OP's own admission.

 

[FordSVTFan]

Right there in the OP's own admission.

Now you've gone and done it, you are arguing logic and fact. :banana:

 

[Iceman II]

Spend $1500 to $2000 on an attorney and fight it. It sounds like the police officer will have a hard time getting the judge to go with his assessment on this one if he will admit that he pulled you over at under 15 mph and you didn't leave in a cloud of smoke and that the other car left harder and was going faster. This will be good training for the LEO as he will learn when it is appropriate to issue this kind of ticket and when it isn't.

Now of course if you are not being forthright on facts here you may just want to take your licks.

I agree on the training part for the officer. I believe the officer hit the lights too soon. He/She should have waited a little longer to make a rock solid felony case! This way the department could have seized the car, arrest the kid and put him in jail. The kid now has a felony arrest record hanging over his head for the of his life. Future background check question, "Have you ever been arrested for a felony?" Ah, "Yes."
Forget the exhibition charges and maybe giving a little slack, don't you think so DarkSnake?

 

[Quik Z06]

^ Felony? Isn't street racing a misdemeanor?

 

[Iceman II]

^ Racing on Highway, does have penalties for both misdemeanors and felonies. Just depends on the situation at hand. But none the less, still go to jail offenses.