Blythewoodjoe
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- Location
- Blythewood, SC
When I picked up my Burma Jeep Monday, I got to meet a nice young man in Concord that wrote me a ticket. It was a delightful end to a long and stressful day. I post this story because it is just too bazaar to keep to myself. I'll try to keep it short.
But first, the Ford GTB. I didn't get to the old Johnson place until around 4:00 pm but one of the scrap guys was there (at least I think he was a scrap guy) and he helped me load it with his loader. Once loaded the trip home should have been quite uneventful. My wife and I had been on the road since 10:00 that morning and despite the rain had picked up everything we needed to. Very relieved at this point.
Back to the ticket. We stopped at the Golden Corral. The 40' trailer was tight to get in the parking lot. Left there and needed to get fuel. Hopped on I-85 and head south. Exited at an exit that looked less crowded than the road we had been on. Followed the signs to the right toward the "diesel" stores. As we approached the stop light at an intersection with the station on the corner, I turned right toward what I thought was a "right' angle road. It was not. The road to my right actually cut much sharper and the exit like road we where on was coming up to the other street. Anyway there was a "no left turn" sign on this exit. As I approached the other street I noticed the drive way to the gas station directly in front of us. I stopped, looked both ways and drove across the street into the gas station. I noticed a police car sitting at the gas station facing our direction. I stopped at a pump and he backed up and pulled up behind me. He walked up and said something to effect I turned illegally at the intersection and asked for my license and registration. I pointed out I was in a borrowed truck and didn't know where the registration was but I found it.
He took them, went to his car and told me I could pump my fuel while he took care of this. I pumped my fuel, he returned after a few minutes with my ticket. $25 fine, $136 court cost. He gave me paper with the pay on line instructions on it. And this is the part that ticked me off, he back up the car and pulled it to the spot it was in before, to catch the next out of town driver. You see anyone that knew the area would have went past the light and taken the driveway on the other side. Only people unfamiliar with the area would do what we did.
Anyway, here's the best part. Yesterday I received 5 letters from Lawyers in the area offering to represent me in this case. What a load of crap. The LEO also wrote on the ticket "OPERATE A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A STREET OR HIGHWAY BY FAILING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN IN A MANNER AS DIRECTED BY A DIRECTION SIGN OR MARKER (G.S. 20-153)"
I thought a no left turn sign meant you could not turn left, not that you had to turn right. Anyway if any of guys are familiar with traffic court in NC please share how it works. It will take me 4 hours round trip each time I go up there and I suspect I will have to appear on my court date and then request a jury trial (hold on, I just read no jury trail for this) for another date. I also would love to know where to find the list of citations that the lawyers see. Big shocker here, but the county people don't know anything if you call. And my wife is a paralegal and works for the solicitors (prosecutors) office here in Columbia and she could get any info from the people.
But first, the Ford GTB. I didn't get to the old Johnson place until around 4:00 pm but one of the scrap guys was there (at least I think he was a scrap guy) and he helped me load it with his loader. Once loaded the trip home should have been quite uneventful. My wife and I had been on the road since 10:00 that morning and despite the rain had picked up everything we needed to. Very relieved at this point.
Back to the ticket. We stopped at the Golden Corral. The 40' trailer was tight to get in the parking lot. Left there and needed to get fuel. Hopped on I-85 and head south. Exited at an exit that looked less crowded than the road we had been on. Followed the signs to the right toward the "diesel" stores. As we approached the stop light at an intersection with the station on the corner, I turned right toward what I thought was a "right' angle road. It was not. The road to my right actually cut much sharper and the exit like road we where on was coming up to the other street. Anyway there was a "no left turn" sign on this exit. As I approached the other street I noticed the drive way to the gas station directly in front of us. I stopped, looked both ways and drove across the street into the gas station. I noticed a police car sitting at the gas station facing our direction. I stopped at a pump and he backed up and pulled up behind me. He walked up and said something to effect I turned illegally at the intersection and asked for my license and registration. I pointed out I was in a borrowed truck and didn't know where the registration was but I found it.
He took them, went to his car and told me I could pump my fuel while he took care of this. I pumped my fuel, he returned after a few minutes with my ticket. $25 fine, $136 court cost. He gave me paper with the pay on line instructions on it. And this is the part that ticked me off, he back up the car and pulled it to the spot it was in before, to catch the next out of town driver. You see anyone that knew the area would have went past the light and taken the driveway on the other side. Only people unfamiliar with the area would do what we did.
Anyway, here's the best part. Yesterday I received 5 letters from Lawyers in the area offering to represent me in this case. What a load of crap. The LEO also wrote on the ticket "OPERATE A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A STREET OR HIGHWAY BY FAILING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN IN A MANNER AS DIRECTED BY A DIRECTION SIGN OR MARKER (G.S. 20-153)"
I thought a no left turn sign meant you could not turn left, not that you had to turn right. Anyway if any of guys are familiar with traffic court in NC please share how it works. It will take me 4 hours round trip each time I go up there and I suspect I will have to appear on my court date and then request a jury trial (hold on, I just read no jury trail for this) for another date. I also would love to know where to find the list of citations that the lawyers see. Big shocker here, but the county people don't know anything if you call. And my wife is a paralegal and works for the solicitors (prosecutors) office here in Columbia and she could get any info from the people.
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