K
koonja
Guest
I received a minor speeding ticket on 12/21/2018. The officer wrote it out by hand and issued it to me. When my wife and I got home, we realized it was my lucky day or so I thought. It was issued to a Paula, who we had never heard of before.
So for 3 weeks I called into the clerk of courts to give them a heads up because I did not want this Paula to get a surprise ticket. The ticket never "showed up" in their system after calling every Friday for 3 weeks, so I stopped trying. I figured they had realized their error, and just discarded it all together.
Now yesterday, 2/19, I receive a ticket in the mail (or reminder to pay my ticket). Citation number is the same, but when I search it online, it now says my name.
Of course, I cannot find my original hand written ticket with Paula's name on it. And when I called the clerk of courts and then the police department, they're saying they issue electronic tickets, and they conveniently don't have a copy of the hand written one for me to bring to a hearing.
If I'm screwed and they can do this, that's fine. But it seems really bizarre that they can just create new tickets, and then when I request a copy of the original, they conveniently do not have a stored carbon copy of the ticket I actually received.
Do I have any options here other than to pony up? Are they legally required to give me the original copy of a ticket they're requesting I pay? They said they'll give me an electronic copy (which is the "new" one).
So for 3 weeks I called into the clerk of courts to give them a heads up because I did not want this Paula to get a surprise ticket. The ticket never "showed up" in their system after calling every Friday for 3 weeks, so I stopped trying. I figured they had realized their error, and just discarded it all together.
Now yesterday, 2/19, I receive a ticket in the mail (or reminder to pay my ticket). Citation number is the same, but when I search it online, it now says my name.
Of course, I cannot find my original hand written ticket with Paula's name on it. And when I called the clerk of courts and then the police department, they're saying they issue electronic tickets, and they conveniently don't have a copy of the hand written one for me to bring to a hearing.
If I'm screwed and they can do this, that's fine. But it seems really bizarre that they can just create new tickets, and then when I request a copy of the original, they conveniently do not have a stored carbon copy of the ticket I actually received.
Do I have any options here other than to pony up? Are they legally required to give me the original copy of a ticket they're requesting I pay? They said they'll give me an electronic copy (which is the "new" one).
