Many times when you get pulled over for having a headlight out the officer will give you a warning. After all, it’s one of those items you normally won’t know about until someone points it out to you.
Today in Spotsylvania General District Court I saw an example of a headlight ticket gone wrong.
One of our Virginia State Troopers stopped a driver for having a headlight out. The driver went off the handle on him. If he had been respectful and polite, he probably would have just gotten a warning. But the driver decided to be rude and got a headlight ticket.
Ok. He could’e prepaid that for $30 (plus court costs). Not a big deal. Get the headlight fixed and move on.
Nope. He came to court. That’s any defendant’s right. But instead of coming to court and politely cross-examining the trooper, he just about got himself held in contempt of court by the judge.
At the end of the day, a warning turned into a $250 conviction.
Why? Because the driver was rude to everyone.
I always counsel people that you shouldn’t consent to searches and you shouldn’t do roadside DUI tests. But you MUST be respectful to law enforcement personnel and especially judges.
You don’t have to agree with the officer, and you can be downright mad at him. But bite your tongue until the traffic stop is over. And definitely conduct yourself with professional decorum in the courtroom.
Photo by coltera