Q: speeding citation
I was pulled over while slowing down from a 45 mph zone to a 40 mph zone. As I was progressively slowing a cop picked up my speed on radar. Upon reviewing my ticket, my name is spelled wrong and my vehicle information is incorrect. On top of that the officer was extremely rude and didn’t even give me an opportunity to speak for myself and didn’t ask for my registration or insurance. Is there anything I can do for this to be dismissed.
A: If you've received a speeding citation in Missouri and there are errors in your name and vehicle information on the ticket, you may have grounds to contest the citation. Minor errors such as misspelled names or incorrect vehicle details can sometimes lead to the dismissal of the ticket. Additionally, if the officer did not follow proper procedures, such as not requesting your registration or insurance, it may further support your case. To contest the ticket, you can typically follow the instructions on the citation for pleading not guilty and requesting a court date. At the court hearing, you can present your case, including any evidence of the errors and the circumstances surrounding the stop.
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A:
Any error on the face of the ticket can be corrected by the police officer or the prosecutor at any time, up to and including the trial date.
If absolutely everything on the ticket is wrong, that might be grounds for challenging the ticket, but I don't believe what you describe would be sufficient for dismissal.
The police officer doesn't have to speak to you or be polite, and they don't have to listen to your side of the story.
You can go to court in person and plead not guilty, and the judge will set your case for trial. If you represent yourself at trial, you can testify on your own behalf, but you will be held to the same standards of evidence as an attorney would be.
Or you can hire a traffic law attorney to get the ticket amended to a non-moving, no-point infraction. That means you won't have any points added to your driving record, and your car insurance company will never know that you received the ticket. You will pay a fine and court costs, but you won't have to appear in court.
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