UpdateThere were six charges against me:
- speeding
- driving without license
- carrying bottles in the car
- failure to appear in court
- no car registration
- loaded weapon without license
At the start of their trial, the prosecution dropped 2 charges: the bottle charge because Teri slashed their case on this last month, and the driver license charge (probably because I have since obtained their driver license).
During the trial, I asked the cop questions and was eventually able to catch him in 2 dilemmas. I asked him to mark on a map where he detected my speed, where he made a u-turn, and where he pulled me over (he testified that he was traveling west-bound and i was traveling east-bound, that he radar-ed me and then u-turned and then pulled me over). I asked him to verify his markings 3 times. What he marked on the map, however, was that he made a u-turn
before he used his radar to detect my speed! This was apparently not enough "reasonable doubt" for the judge.
Also, the cop testified that my window tinting was so dark that he couldn't see into the car with his car's spotlight, yet he also testified that he looked through the passenger-side back-seat window (also tinted) and saw on the floor of the car (with no interior lights on) on the
driver's side of the car in the back seat my gun - loaded - even though between the gun and him, also on the floor, was a 6-pack of bottles in a cardboard case. In Teri's trial last month (and I pointed this out again today), she pointed out that the beers were in fact in a 4 pack because that's the only way this beer is sold. Nonetheless, the cop testified he saw through 1% tinting (it lets only 1% of light through) in the dark on the floor of the back seat of a car without interior lights
through another object that he saw my loaded gun. My gun was unloaded. This was also not enough "reasonable doubt" for the judge.
In my closing statement/testimony, I pointed out that all 6 charges were victimless crimes - that there was not a single human in existence that I harmed or threatened or whose property I damaged or stole - and that there was not even a human that was
claiming to be a victim. I also said that if the jidge found me guilty and assessed a penalty, I would not pay it.
The judge found me guilty on all 4 remaining charges. She issued no penalty on the registration and speeding charges (!). On the failure to appear charge, she assessed a $300.00 fee that was satisfied by my already-served jail time. On the gun charge, she assessed 46 days in jail, 6 days satisfied by my already-served jail time and the remaining 40 days suspended for 1 year.
In other words, according to their system of "justice," I was guilty on all charges and had to pay no more penalties, but they want me to "behave" (not have any criminal convictions) for 1 year.
I am glad to not be in jail, but it's just so damn ridiculous that I was found guilty on the only of their charges that I was actually innocent of! (I expected to be found guilty on the other charges)[/list]
