Plea Bargain at Traffic Court? Orange County, CA?

  • Thread starter Thread starter justin_tense23
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justin_tense23

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I received an Exhibition of Speed ticket CVC: 23109 (C). Going 67 in a 45. I understand I made a mistake. My court date isn't till Nov. This is my first time going through this process and want to know what to expect. From my reading around Yahoo Answers. They say the Prosecutor or District Attorney may offer a Plea bargain to prevent the case from going to trial. I'm hoping it can get dropped to a lesser charge since I have a clean driving record. Also crossing fingers that I will be able to attend traffic school to prevent the automatic 2 pts. on my record.

I just want to know if the Prosecutor or DA will approach me before my name is called? Or will I have to locate them? If so, how do I know who they are the day I arrive? I will be going to the Courthouse in Westminster, CA.

Or is the Plea bargain only offered if you plea Not Guilty on the first day?

Thank you for your time.
I forgot to include the officer cited this as a Misdemeanor rather than an Infraction. I was told that if its a Misdemeanor traffic school will not be granted.
 
dude west court is f**ked up all i know is that if you are going to plea anything let it be the truth and depending on your circumstances pay the fine and do caltran if they offer it too bad you didn't have to go to north court(fullerton) it's cake the judges there but as far as the d.a. is concerned they usually approach you with the wat the judge wants to charge you with and ask if you accept this takes place before the judge gets in if they ask u while the judge is on the bench don't trip it happens.
 
You are charged with an infraction. Plea bargains are not available for infractions. It would be considered a waste of time considering the very minor consequences of a guilty plea for an infraction.
You will enter the courtroom along with about 100 other people, check in with the bailiff, and be handed some paperwork. You will watch a video or listen to an audio tape explaining the process. You can elect to sign the plea form as guilty, turn it in to the court when they call your name, and accept your fine. You may also elect to speak with a public defender before signing the form.
If you plead not guilty, you will be given a date to come back for a trial. Only do this if you genuinely wish to go through a trial and think you may be found not guilty. You will not be offered a plea bargain deal on an infraction and the prosecutor will not be interested in speaking with you. You will not be getting the infraction dropped to a lessor infraction.
The procedure you are picturing is really only done on felony cases and certain serious misdemeanor cases. You're only going to trial if you want to go to trial. Otherwise, you're signing a paper, pleading guilty, and getting your fine. You're already entitled to take a driving class to prevent the points. You don't need a judge to tell you that you can do it. Everyone is entitled to do it one time. This is a very stream-lined process and you will be before the judge for about 1 minute.
 
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