How do I prove my innocence after getting a ticket for running a stop sign in Riverview, Fl?
Hi! I will be the professional that will be helping you today. I look forward to providing you with information to help solve your problem.
I am sorry to hear about the issuance of the citation. The burden is on the State of Florida, to prove the violation. They will do this based upon the testimony of the officer, who was present, witnessed this and issued the citation. If the officer fails to appear at trial, the case would likely be dismissed for lack of prosecution. However, if the officer does appear, after he testifies, you will have a chance to cross-examine him/her and create doubt as to you running the stop sign or impeach their credibility. Moreover, you will have a chance to testify on your own behalf and introduce any evidence or witnesses, to support your position that you did not run the stop sign. If you want, you can bring photos or video in to the court room, if the line of sight/view of the officer was an issue or if the stop sign was blocked. After all the evidence is presented, the Judge will make a decision and decide. If the Judge does find you guilty, it would then need to be determined if you should be adjudicated or if adjudication should be withheld, so you do not get any points on your license.
Please let me know if you have any follow up questions orneed any clarification on something which I stated above, prior to rating me. Please remember to onlyrate my answer when you are 100% satisfied. IF you feel the need to clickeither of the two faces/stars on the left, please STOP and reply to me via the"REPLY TO EXPERT or CONTINUE CONVERSATION " button. I want to make sure your experiencewith the site was as pleasurable as possible and that you are satisfied withthe help I provided. If you have nothingfurther, please rate my answer with 3, 4 or 5 faces/stars, so I can get creditfor my help - I hope you found it to be Excellent! Please let me know if youare having any problems rating my answer on the site.
There was a passenger in my car at that time who wasn`t watching when I stopped at the stop sign. The officer asked for his driver`s license, too.
Was there a reason for that?
I would be happy to answer that. It was likely to run his information to see if he had any active warrants and part of procedure, to identify the individuals in the vehicle, for the safety of the officer. The officer may have also decided to list any occupants in the car, on the citation, in case he needed to reference this at a later time.