Greensville Speeding Ticket Trial 

Speeding ticket cases are heard in Greensville General District Court where a person can show up to contest their speed or offer mitigating circumstances for speeding. If an individual does not show up they will be found guilty in their absence and be required to pay the fines associated with the ticket. With this in mind, if a person doesn’t want to be found guilty, they need to go to their Greensville speeding ticket trial with a Greensville speeding ticket lawyer to state their defense and prove why their ticket should be reduced or taken away.

What to Expect

An individual in Greensville County should expect that the law enforcement representative who wrote them the summons would be in court and offer evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they were the driver of the vehicle, that the vehicle was identified. If it were a speeding case, as the one responsible for the speed by either pacing, radar, or LIDAR, they would be offered the opportunity to refute or disagree with the officer’s evidence. If they have an attorney, the attorney is going to cross-examine the law enforcement representative to try and find ways to show that they can’t be certain beyond a reasonable doubt for whatever reason that the person is responsible for the behavior alleged.

Speeding ticket cases are first heard in general district courts. If they are appealed, they are heard in the circuit court. The person charged is going to have the opportunity to testify, if they have an attorney, and they will be questioned by their attorney specifically looking for information that is going to either explain behavior or show that the officer didn’t target the correct vehicle or didn’t identify the correct vehicle.

At a speeding ticket trial hearing, the law enforcement officer who issued the ticket appears in court and testifies to the facts and circumstances of the traffic stop. The officer explains what the speed is estimated to be, and how the speed was determined. A law enforcement officer usually has individual notes on the traffic stops. They identify the driver, testify that the incident occurred within the jurisdiction of Brunswick County, and tell the judge any statements that the individual made regarding the traffic stop.

Then, ultimately the judge decides whether or not the person will be found guilty, whether the charge will be essentially amended to something more favorable to the client, if there is a finding of sufficient evidence, the judge is going to be looking at someone’s previous driving record and occasionally a criminal record before considering lowering or amending the charge.

Need to Appear in Court

A person does not have to appear in court for a speeding ticket. Anyone charged with a speeding ticket can always pre-pay online, bypassing the need to appear in court in the first place.

That being said, it may be in someone’s best interest to appear in court, depending on their record. In a case where the judge could go either way with a conviction or lower the charge, having the person appear in court can be helpful. The person can speak to the court about their character, what was going on in their head that day that explains why they were speeding, whether they are pleading guilty, or explain why it is a hardship to have a conviction on their record, among other things.

People Involved In a Speeding Ticket Trial

If it is just a speeding ticket, if it is not reckless driving, it is going to be the defense attorney, the client, the law enforcement representative, and the general district court’s judge present. If an individual is responding to charges at a Greensville speeding ticket trial, they are going to want to listen to the officer’s testimony and tailor their argument from their focusing on location, the flow of traffic on the road, whether there was calibration, training, et cetera.

How An Attorney Can Help

Although a  Greensville speeding ticket trial may seem daunting at first, it is also an opportunity. A trial allows the recipient of the ticket to contest their ticket. A skilled speeding ticket lawyer can make that process even easier. Working with an experienced attorney can ensure that you are working with someone who has knowledge of Greensville traffic and speeding laws, and can use that knowledge to defend you. If you have received a speeding ticket get in touch with a speeding ticket lawyer.