So, got a ticket a little over a month ago (GSP cited, Atlanta jurisdiction) but it never showed up in the online system with Atlanta Municipal Court. So, show up today for court (at time on the summons printed on citation) but it's still not in the system so they give me a piece of paper saying, "Hey any LEOS, if there is a warrant for this guy, don't arrest him, we have no records of this." I ask the clerk and she says that most likely the trooper didn't turn in the ticket so just basically forget it and if *he* does turn it in, they will mail a letter. Ok...so I looked up some citation numbers that were before my number and they stop about 2 prior to mine (say mine is xxxx280, I was able to look up xxxx277 but not xxxx278 or 279 or any others past mine) and were from July. So now I guess I just wait for the 2 year SOL to run? Anyone else had this 'luck' before?
Sounds like good luck to me. Just keep that note they gave you. You never know when some other Clerk of (Kangaroo) Court may report you as a no-show.
There should be a state law that if your ticket is not in the system by your court date, you are permanently off the hook for it. This stupid waiting game is ridiculous.
Agreed, you're damned if you do and if you don't. You show and you've wasted a day or don't and run the risk of a bench warrant. Either way you become the one at risk.
Make a second copy of the notices you have. Keep them separate, and in a safe place. Check back occasionally to see if the citation has been called, as you just did.
Well, there isn't officially any charges to be dismissed. As best as I can tell, I pretty much have to sit and wait and periodically check the court website, my DDS record (for suspension for a failure to appear) and see if I get anything in the mail. Yep. I put the original letter and citations in my firebox and then have copies of both in both cars I drive. What a pain.
Hell...he might be dead. I am a little curious as to how it's "overlooked" or just not dealt with. It was a print out from his on-board computer and it has a citation number assigned, so I just assumed it's in a database somewhere. I don't see that the trooper would have to put it in some "in box" at the barracks or something and if he had too many "missing" his supervision would be a little annoyed.
Even officers work for the goverment, government employee. They can do whatever they like. The goverment is only good at doing two things.
Isn't a citation in Georgia officially a summons for court? If so, you showed and did your part. I would get some kind of proof of that. Then, you would have to be summoned again if they ever did decide to bring charges and a good effort would have to be made to notify you of it, correct?
Yes. They gave me a 'note' that basically said that the citation is not in the system and if there a warrant for it, to disregard. The only sticking point is a new summons which they would have to serve on me, but I think 1st class mail is 'good enough', just not exactly sure. So, basically I have a new weekly routine...look to see if the cop turned in the ticket to the court. And yes, that's a slight pain in my arse.