2/2/04: "Clouds of Doubt" Part 1

My heart sank as red and blue lights flickered on the horizon. I had just used the passing lane to overtake another vehicle and was still accelerating to put a safe distance between me and the white Altima that was driving recklessly along a portion of Arizona State Highway 264, about 3 miles west of Ganado. There would be no explaining that, however, to the officer who wrote the ticket. His exact words:"I didn't see it, so it's your word against mine." That's exactly what I thought, so I decided that I would submit payment as a bond and request a court date. I was banking on the chance that he might not show up and the ticket would be thrown out. What I didn't realize was that the courthouse where I would be requested to appear was nearly a hundred miles from my home in Keams Canyon. "Oh well," I figured, "that will only make it less likely for the officer to show." To my additional advantage, I assumed, was the fact that the court date wasn't for another 60 days. "Who in their right mind is going to care enough to drive a hundred miles to defend this ticket," I thought to myself, "let alone remember to appear. Certainly this officer's got better things to do than to argue to the legitimacy of this ticket." I was pretty confident that I had a good case - as long as he didn't show! To be honest, I was a little aggravated that I'd gotten a ticket for something that to me seemed unavoidable.

At any rate, as the date drew nearer, I started to worry about the "what if's." What if he did show up? I mean, after all, it really was going to be his word against mine, and although I was honest in my explanation of what had happened, do you seriously think the court is going to rule against an officer of the law and set an ugly precedent like that? Hardly. Now I was really praying that he wouldn't show. I was starting to wonder if I should even appear at all. Maybe it would just be better off if I forfeit my bond and call it good. I guess it was my pride that got the best of me because in the end I just had to state my case to the judge - even if he did rule against me. I figured that all I could really do was stand up for myself. Paying the ticket without contesting it would mean that I just lied down dead - without anyone knowing what really happened.

It was the night before I was appointed to appear in court, and I was still contemplating my decision to fight the ticket. I figured I would make my final decision in the morning. When I awoke, the situation wasn't any clearer - but I decided to go anyway. It took me over an hour and a half to find this particular county courthouse, and I almost didn't. From the outside, it looked like a homespun hair salon turned justice-of-the-peace - and that's exactly what was painted in big, black, block lettering on the plywood sign out front: "JuSTice of the PeaCe."

To my surprise, the issuing officer did show up, thus explaining his nickname, I later found out, which was "No Chance." I pled my case, and the DA offered me some kind of "plea bargain" called a waste of finite resources. I ended up having to pay double the fine, but the ticket was thrown out - resulting in no points on my record and a stable insurance premium. I was satisfied, the court was satisfied, but somehow I don't think the officer was. He should have stayed home that day.

I can't deny that my stomach was in knots during the proceeding, and I had questioned whether or not I should have even come at all, at least a hundred times. I was still resenting the fact that I had gotten the ticket in the first place - and having to drive a hundred miles out of my way on my only day off that week didn't help. It wasn't until we were leaving the courthouse that day that I saw the silver lining in my cloud of doubt....

To be continued in next weeks mailer!

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