A University of North Florida student who was being issued a speeding ticket was told by the officer she could avoid points on her license by paying the officer a roadside fee instead of a traffic ticket. That has landed the Lawtey police officer in hot water and he is now being investigated for asking for a cash payment on the side of a road.
Twenty-year old Bonnie McCowan was pulled over for driving 55 M.P.H. in a 45 M.P.H. zone. She was pulled over on Highway 301 in North Florida between Gainesville and Jacksonville. She says when the officer pulled her over for speeding he gave her three options. He told her she could pay the ticket and get four points on her license. She could contest the Florida traffic ticket in court or she could pay a $191 roadside fee and avoid the traffic ticket and the points that go along with it.
The officer told McCOwan that the only form of payment she could make for the roadside fee was cash. Even though the college student thought it was strange, she called a friend to meet her on the road with the money. McCowan credited her trust of police officers for falling victim to what amounted to a bribe. Luckily the friend she called to bring her the money informed a police dispatcher of what was going on and they responded to the situation by showing up at the scene of the traffic stop.
The officer in question was not named in the report but according to the department he had only been on the job for 10 weeks. They went on to say that the officer is still considered a unpaid auxiliary officer right now. Lawtey officials are looking for other drivers who were offered the same roadside fee offer.
Category Archives: Traffic Tickets
Orlando Traffic Tickets Could Take Longer To Pay. Just Another Reason To Fight Them!
There is a long list of reasons to fight your Florida traffic tickets rather than just pay them and suffer the consequences that come with the points. One big reason is the higher insurance rates that come along with points on your license. If you live in Orlando you can add another reason to the list to fight your Florida traffic citation, long lines.
Last year budget cuts caused the Orange County Clerk of Courts to cut more than 100 jobs. Now clerk’s offices in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake and Volusia Counties could lose another $5.75 million causing them to once again scale-back. The result will be longer lines according to clerks across the state of Florida.
Seat Belt Violations In Pinellas Reach Double Digits In One Day Operation
There were 10 Pinellas County seat belt violation citations issued Thursday in a one-day seatbelt enforcement detail. On top of the 10 Pinellas traffic tickets that deputies issued there was a criminal citation issued for possession of a controlled substance and a notice to appear for the same violation.
The fine for motorists ticketed for a seat belt violation is $116. The detail focusing on seat belt violations in Pinellas County are being funded by a $20,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. The deputies will continue these details at 23 targeted intersections that have high rates of traffic crashes and fatalities.
DUI Checkpoint In DeFuniak Springs And Walton County Nets Just Four Arrests In Four Hour Period
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office, DeFuniak Springs Police, Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Department of Transportation made one DUI arrest during a four-hour checkpoint March 13. Law enforcement set up in an area where there is believed to be a high rate of drunk driving and drunk driving accidents. The checkpoint resulted in 524 stops but only four arrests. Just one was for DUI and the other three were for driving with a suspended license.
While the officers were light on DUI arrests, they did issue 48 Florida traffic citations and eight written warnings. The story did not break down what types of traffic tickets were issued during the stops. It did go into details on seat belt violations and the number of traffic deaths related to drivers and passengers who do not buckle up on Florida’s roadways.
Florida Seat Belt Law Drawing Scrutiny From One Bradenton Mother
A Bradenton, Florida mother was ticketed for violating Florida’s seat belt law after her son unbuckled as she was pulling up to his elementary school. Denise Muro was given a Florida traffic ticket in the amount of $116 because when she pulled up to Stewart Elementary a Manatee Sheriff saw her son was not buckled up.
According to the Bradenton Herald, sheriff’s deputies in Manatee were surrounding the school area but not on the property. Muro says when she was stopped her front two tires were on the elementary school’s property and the back two were still in the street. The Manatee mother has decided to fight the traffic ticket and hopefully she will get a qualified Florida traffic attorney to help her.
Florida Makes It Into The Top 10 For America’s Worst Drivers
GMAC Insurance recently conducted a survey of a driver’s basic knowledge of the laws of the road. The company quizzed more than 5,000 drivers in all 50 states and the results are in. While New York has what GMAC Insurance deems as the worst drivers, Florida finished ninth overall. Many law firm clients think that the lack of knowledge of traffic laws is a valid defense against their Florida traffic ticket but unfortunately that is not the case.
According to the survey about 41 million Americans would fail their written driver’s test if they had to take it today. While most drivers are aware of the laws surrounding speeding, running a red light and driving with a suspended license there are many laws out there that Florida driver’s aren’t as familiar with. Some are newer laws like Florida’s Move Over Law or some are just misunderstood like what is careless driving or reckless driving. If you want to take the test yourself, visit www.nationaldriverstest.com. See how you fare!
After 1,100 Tickets For Running Red Lights, Hillsborough’s Red Light Cameras Still A Hot Topic
In just over a month, the red light cameras in Hillsborough County have been responsible for 1,100 citations for running red lights. Those citations have meant over $100,000 to the city’s coffers. As the money rolls in the debate continues on as to whether the cameras make Tampa’s streets safer or just make money.
Cpl. Darrin Barlow told My Fox Tampa Bay’s April Kellogg that the people who run red lights are endangering motorists but some of those very motorists disagree. Kellogg spoke to Tampa citizens who have witnessed increased danger on the roads due to the way people drive because of the red light cameras. That was a major concern for many when the cameras were first being discussed.
Florida Cop Facing Felony Charges For Writing Unwarranted Traffic Tickets And Making Illegal Traffic Stops
A 21-year veteran of the Melbourne, Florida Police Department is facing five felony charges of official misconduct and four misdemeanor charges for falsifying records according to a story on Florida Today and FDLE reports. Officer Frank Carter is accused of writing unwarranted traffic tickets due to video that was reviewed from his in-car dashboard camera. Carter’s attorney claims the traffic stops were warranted due to drug dealing in some Melbourne neighborhoods.
Some of the traffic citations handed out by Carter that FDLE flagged were for driving without headlights when they were not required or no tag lights when the car’s tag lights were working. Some residents in south Melbourne claim that Carter has been a “thorn in the side” to the town’s African-American population for years. Carter was released from the Brevard County Detention Center on a $2000 bond.
Red Light Runners Ticketed By Cameras May Get Their Money Back If Florida Lawsuit Prevails
Another lawsuit has been filed against Florida’s red light camera system. A Lakeland, Florida lawyer has filed a lawsuit against the city of Lakeland and the company that operates the cameras that target people who run red lights. This lawsuit, the third against red light camera operators in the state of Florida, claims the company that runs the cameras does not have the proper state licensing. Since the cameras went into operation in Lakeland, the city has collected more than $1 million in fines and issued traffic citations totaling more than $2 million.
The lawsuit is asking that there be a repayment of the traffic citation fines at up to four times the amount of the ticket, according to a story by the Lakeland Ledger. The city is in the midst of a three-year contract with American Traffic Solutions who operate the red light cameras. This current lawsuit does differ from the first two in that this one claims ATS has not received the proper private investigating license required in Florida.
Warrant Issued For Florida Gator Dustin Doe
Florida Gator Dustin Doe had a warrant issued after he failed to do community service as part of his probation related to two misdemeanor traffic violations for driving without a license. Doe failed to do eight hours of community service over the past four-months. The warrant was issued January 5.
Doe was found guilty of the traffic violations. Record show he paid his fine but never followed through with his work crew assignment, according to a story on TBO.com. The fine was in the amount of $311. Doe was also sentenced to six months probation.