I received a ticket for underage consumption of alcohol while walking home. I've been trying to find methods for fighting a ticket of this nature and have a few questions. A few people have told me that at least for many traffic tickets, the cop often doesn't appear in court and these cases are routinely dismissed. A few places said requesting a different court date could also make it more difficult for the cop to appear in court. Would that advice hold for this sort of citation too? Also, does the officer have to provide evidence of consumption other than noticeable effects such as slurring while speaking, stumbling, etc. I wasn't given any sort of breathalyzer test or field sobriety test and wasn't carrying anything on me, but I was certainly intoxicated enough to slur/stumble.

You must have looked very inebriated walking along for an officer to take notice. Sometimes they just put the person in the cruiser and take them home and make sure they get in the door. So there must have been something else precipitating a citation from the officer?

You don't say what State this was in and I don't think it is the whole story.

What you have been told about the officer showing up is often true. But, from your account, it sounds like you WERE guilty. You can "fight" the ticket, you can only hope it won't be prosecuted. Cause if the cop does show, his testimony should be enough to convict. I would try to just get it knocked down to a lesser charge.

Hello am:

When a cop offers his observations, that IS evidence of consumption. You are right, in that, should the complaining witness not show up, you'll win.

Ok, so here comes the moral stuff. We talk to lots of young people here who've gotten themselves into trouble. Most of 'em are really, really stupid. Most of 'em couldn't write a complete sentence if their life depended on it. Most of 'em use code that a old frt dsn't gt.

You don't. You can write. You can put thoughts into comprehensible terms. That means you can be president, cause you're for sure, a lot smarter than him.

I'm not going to tell you to stop drinking. Drinking is Americana. Just stop walking drunk. You could hurt somebody...

excon