HOW TO HANDLE TICKETS IN CARROLLTON

TRAFFIC TICKETS IN CARROLLTON

TRAFFIC LAWYER IN CARROLLTON

1-214-321-4105

Carrollton has one of the most active police forces in all of North Dallas. They are consistent in numbers with the offenses varying from speeding both in and out of construction and school zones, disregarding traffic control devices, minor offense warnings resulting in no insurance tickets, registration, and inspection offenses to name a few. Carrollton does not discriminate on license classification and openly issues tickets out to regular class-c holders and CDLs alike. If you are one of the many that has received a citation give us a call to begin the process of getting representation on your cases.

Carrollton has many distinct characteristics that make it one of the most difficult, yet upfront, courts to deal with. There are specific question we hear when we deal with Carrollton for first timers such as “Why did “X” happen in “Other” court but not in Carrollton?”, “Why weren’t any of the fines reduced?”, “Why is my deferral period so long?” and “Why can’t I get a payment plan?”. Great questions to ask about the court, any court for that matter, that gave you a citation.

There is no law in effect that dictates that all courts must follow the same guidelines and procedures within their court. There are laws which highlight what the maximum punishment can be and as long as the court obliges with that then everything else is typically legitimate. Here are the things you can expect when handling citations out of Carrollton.

Carrollton is…

… a fee at plea court.

The Carrollton Municipal website itself provides the information making it a court that requires payment upfront. There are few exceptions in which payment is not due immediately. Exception 1) If you are entering a plea that will get you a conviction you may have an extension of up to 10 days to make payment to the court. Exception 2) If the amount is above $500 and a conviction is being entered, the individual without attorney representation will have to go in person to the court to speak with the collections department. Be prepared to provide extensive financial information and be able to provide proof to substantiate the need for a payment plan.

Upon being retained for representation, we contact the court and enter our entry of appearance. We will then receive a court date that is roughly 1-2 months down the road. In Carrollton, it will always be set for the 1^st Thursday of the month at 1 PM unless it is being set for trial. When we receive the notification letter from the court alerting us of our court date, they also send us the prosecutor’s offer. The time between receiving the notice and the first court is your payment plan period. You know the worst case scenario amounts up front and can begin to save towards that amount. If you are absolutely unable to come up with the required funds in that time frame, a reset may be granted allowing you 1 more month to allocate the funds. Payment will then be due on that 2^nd setting.

… not likely to reduce the fine amounts.

When we do receive the offers from the court the amounts are unlikely to change. There are instances where the fine amounts could go down but you should always save for the amount in the first offer to cover your bases.

… not a court that dismisses cases just because.

It is imperative to have compliance available when dealing with this court. If you received a citation for no license, no insurance, no inspection or registration and you were in fact compliant, proof is necessary to get a case dismissed out of this court. If you become compliant after the fact, there is a chance the citation will not be dropped and you’ll be expected to pay the fine.

… a very stern court.

They will review their records and see how many times you have received something out of their court. If you are a repeat offender chances are that they will not allow you to take a defensive driver course or enter a deferred adjudication agreement. If you are allowed to enter a deferred agreement the probationary period is 180 days without the possibility of having it shortened. If your case happens to be in warrant status, read this article that provides you with options to resolve the matter.

All things considered, Carrollton is easy in the sense that it does not change and the expectations can be kept the same time after time. Lack of compassion, mercy, and flexibility are the attributes that make this court one of the most difficult to deal with in North Texas. Working with Carrollton on your own may seem appealing but keep in mind that most things that seem like a good offer tend to come with a conviction. Give us a call 1-214-321-4105 and let us handle the matter for you and make this trying experience be over as quickly and easily as possible.