Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
My question involves vehicle registration or title in the state of: Texas
Im a car dealer and was stopped for expired temp tags which I didnt know expired 2 days prior. The officer noticed the previous owners registration sticker was still on the windshield and questioned why its still there. I was honest and told him i forgot to peal it off. I explained to him when dealers purchase vehicles from the auction, the auction does not peel it off at times. Im not sure if its the auctions respnsibilty or mine but in anycase he decided to give me a ticket. Violation #3714 (registration display/wrong registration). The big issue im have is this ticket is close to $400! So I was wondering what are the chances I can get a reduced fee or better yet have it dismissed? Thanks
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
jerzstyle00
So I was wondering what are the chances I can get a reduced fee or better yet have it dismissed?
None.
You're a car dealer. You should know better.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
budwad
That is a Houston specific news story and it is 7 years old. Prosecutors and policies change.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
what's your point? You mean that prosecutors no longer plea barging or drop tickets? If that's your point, then you are incorrect. It's only gotten more the norm.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
budwad
what's your point? You mean that prosecutors no longer plea barging or drop tickets? If that's your point, then you are incorrect. It's only gotten more the norm.
No, I mean your link is to an old news story and there is a chance that things have changed. It is hardly a legal cite.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
jerzstyle00
I was wondering what are the chances I can get a reduced fee or better yet have it dismissed?
Why would someone dismiss a ticket that is apparently completely valid? If prosecutors were in the habit of doing that, it would royally piss off the cops.
As for the chances of a reduced fee, the answer is somewhere between 0-100%, but the speculation of anonymous strangers on the internet is utterly meaningless. Further narrowing down the likelihood would require local knowledge. Follow the procedure to dispute the ticket and see what happens (I'd suggest consulting with a local attorney, but the attorney's fees would almost certainly be greater than any savings you might realize).
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
pg1067
Why would someone dismiss a ticket that is apparently completely valid? If prosecutors were in the habit of doing that, it would royally piss off the cops.
As for the chances of a reduced fee, the answer is somewhere between 0-100%, but the speculation of anonymous strangers on the internet is utterly meaningless. Further narrowing down the likelihood would require local knowledge. Follow the procedure to dispute the ticket and see what happens (I'd suggest consulting with a local attorney, but the attorney's fees would almost certainly be greater than any savings you might realize).
Well my argument would probably be is the registration sticker should be irrelevant since i have paper tags? Yes maybe the sticker should of been taken off but whats the benefit for me to leave it on? Obviously there was no intent for me to leave it on or am i wrong here?
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
How about you address what incentive the prosecutor has to dismiss the charge? What benefit is there for him to let you off with no consequences?
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
jerzstyle00
Well my argument would probably be is the registration sticker should be irrelevant since i have paper tags? Yes maybe the sticker should of been taken off but whats the benefit for me to leave it on? Obviously there was no intent for me to leave it on or am i wrong here?
Traffic offenses are almost always strict liability, which means that intent is not relevant.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
What section of the TTC were you cited as violating? For example "section 502.040".
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
cbg
How about you address what incentive the prosecutor has to dismiss the charge? What benefit is there for him to let you off with no consequences?
The only incentive for a prosecutor to ever dismiss the charge (or decline to prosecute) is if the prosecutor believes that the judge will dismiss the case if he doesn't, or if he believes he will lose the case. I think that the OP has a pretty good argument that he is a car dealer using paper tags therefore the old registration sticker did not benefit him in any way.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Whether it benefits him or not is beside the point. He's a car dealer; he should know better. Why should he get a free pass on something someone else would have to pay a ticket for? Because he dropped the ball? What makes you think a judge will automatically overrule a prosecutor who's got a slam dunk case?
Personally, I think the "it doesn't benefit me to forget to take off the old sticker" is a crap argument
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
cbg
Whether it benefits him or not is beside the point. He's a car dealer; he should know better. Why should he get a free pass on something someone else would have to pay a ticket for? Because he dropped the ball? What makes you think a judge will automatically overrule a prosecutor who's got a slam dunk case?
Personally, I think the "it doesn't benefit me to forget to take off the old sticker" is a crap argument
You could be right. I really don't know one way or the other. However, I still think that the "it didn't benefit me" argument holds water.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
cbg
Whether it benefits him or not is beside the point. He's a car dealer; he should know better. Why should he get a free pass on something someone else would have to pay a ticket for? Because he dropped the ball? What makes you think a judge will automatically overrule a prosecutor who's got a slam dunk case?
Personally, I think the "it doesn't benefit me to forget to take off the old sticker" is a crap argument
How or why would the previous owner get a ticket? The plates belong to me so if there would be a ticket issued it would be based off the plates not the registration sticker not really understanding your argument. Again my argument is they were irrelevant since i have dealer plates.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
jerzstyle00
Im a car dealer and was stopped for expired temp tags which I didnt know expired 2 days prior.
That's your problem right there, expired dealer plates.
Quote:
Quoting
jerzstyle00
i have dealer plates.
Had your dealer plates not been expired, you would not have been given the ticked. The statute and the Texas Administrative code would have allowed you to transport the vehicle using your dealer plates.
Sec. 503.061 of the Texas Transportation Code and
Texas Administrative Code (Last Updated: June 9, 2019)
TITLE 43. TRANSPORTATION
PART 10. TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES
CHAPTER 215. MOTOR VEHICLE DISTRIBUTION
SUBCHAPTER E. GENERAL DISTINGUISHING NUMBERS
You can try your argument before the Judge but I think you would have a better chance just saying that you were unaware that you dealer plates came due for renewal two days earlier. You did renew your plates. Right.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Regardless of whether it was your plates or your sticker that expired, anyone with either one driving expired gets a ticket. You're not special because you're a dealer. You're not special because "it didn't benefit you". You're just like anyone else and when you drive with expired plates or an expired sticker or an expired anything else, you get a ticket. It is possible you don't understand that? (And the same goes for you, ll)
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
cbg
Regardless of whether it was your plates or your sticker that expired, anyone with either one driving expired gets a ticket. You're not special because you're a dealer. You're not special because "it didn't benefit you". You're just like anyone else and when you drive with expired plates or an expired sticker or an expired anything else, you get a ticket. It is possible you don't understand that? (And the same goes for you, ll)
I am not arguing that he shouldn't get a ticket for the expired dealer tags. I was arguing that he shouldn't get a second ticket for not peeling off the former registration sticker. If he only got one ticket, then my argument is moot.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
cbg
Regardless of whether it was your plates or your sticker that expired, anyone with either one driving expired gets a ticket. You're not special because you're a dealer. You're not special because "it didn't benefit you". You're just like anyone else and when you drive with expired plates or an expired sticker or an expired anything else, you get a ticket. It is possible you don't understand that? (And the same goes for you, ll)
Your arguing something Im not even arguing read before commenting. I did not get a ticket because of expired plates nor expired sticker. The plates were expired but got a warning for that. I was ticketed for a registration sticker(which is still valid) that the previous owner failed to peel off. My argument is why do I get the blame.If he decided to leave it on then I shouldnt get hit for it or am I wrong? Yes I know im the " Bad Guy Dealer" that some of you are hating on but I dont recall in dealer seminar them mentioning it was my responsibility to peel that off. Also as I stated before, the sticker should be irrelevant to a officer when I have temp tags(Yes I know expired temp tags) but the point is if i was to be ticketed it should of been expired tags not a previous owners registration sticker.
Quote:
Quoting
budwad
That's your problem right there, expired dealer plates.
Had your dealer plates not been expired, you would not have been given the ticked. The statute and the Texas Administrative code would have allowed you to transport the vehicle using your dealer plates.
Sec. 503.061 of the Texas Transportation Code and
Texas Administrative Code (Last Updated: June 9, 2019)
TITLE 43. TRANSPORTATION
PART 10. TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES
CHAPTER 215. MOTOR VEHICLE DISTRIBUTION
SUBCHAPTER E. GENERAL DISTINGUISHING NUMBERS
You can try your argument before the Judge but I think you would have a better chance just saying that you were unaware that you dealer plates came due for renewal two days earlier. You did renew your plates. Right.
Yes right away I got them updated.The funny thing is I had my hard dealer plates in my darn briefcase when I got stopped. Again he never ticketed me for the expired plates, he ticketed me for a previous owners registration sticker(which is current). I really think it should be the previous owners responbility to peel that off when he sold it to another party not mine.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
Quote:
Quoting
jerzstyle00
Your arguing something Im not even arguing read before commenting. I did not get a ticket because of expired plates nor expired sticker. The plates were expired but got a warning for that. I was ticketed for a registration sticker(which is still valid) that the previous owner failed to peel off. My argument is why do I get the blame.If he decided to leave it on then I shouldnt get hit for it or am I wrong? Yes I know im the " Bad Guy Dealer" that some of you are hating on but I dont recall in dealer seminar them mentioning it was my responsibility to peel that off. Also as I stated before, the sticker should be irrelevant to a officer when I have temp tags(Yes I know expired temp tags) but the point is if i was to be ticketed it should of been expired tags not a previous owners registration sticker.
Yes right away I got them updated.The funny thing is I had my hard dealer plates in my darn briefcase when I got stopped. Again he never ticketed me for the expired plates, he ticketed me for a previous owners registration sticker(which is current). I really think it should be the previous owners responbility to peel that off when he sold it to another party not mine.
Then by all means make that argument to the judge. I tend to agree with you. I have no idea whether or not that would fly but I would make that argument.
Re: Ticketed for Displaying Previous Owner Registration Sticker
All of the comments made here are valid - except none really answer your question.
The real answer is:
It all depends on the judge you get when you go to court and what mood he is that day.