Getting fines for no good reason
At my district court you have to have a public defender for anything and everything.
The cops get you on things that you did not even do and then you have to pay the fine(s) and court cost.
Most of the time at your hearing the Judge talks to the public defender and the police officer and then they come out and tell you what happened. You don't even know that your case was being heard. You never ever even saw or talked to your public defender. They only go by what you told the intake person at the public defenders office and the side of the police officer.
Then you say it isn't fair and they say well you could fight it and take it down town but you know who the Judge is going to believe so you want to waste your time?
My boyfriend got a $15. Fine and $93. Court cost because they pulled him over for having his high beams on on a pitch black road. Then they searched his car without him even having anything to say about it. They ripped up the roof liner and the moulding. Then they had it towed (which cost him $150.) and took him to the hospital to see how much alcohol he had in his system which he passed.
He also got fined for a weed pipe that was stashed in the back seat by one of the passengers. I understand that is legally his responsibility but they searched the car without his acknowledgment or permission.
What ever happened to having to have probable cause to pull somebody over?
Or asking to search the car?
Why can the charge stick when they never even gave him a ticket for the high beams?