This question pertains to a speeding ticket and deferral in Washington State.
So here are the details. On June 20, 2008 I received a speeding ticket in King County in Washington State. I requested a deferral for that ticket, and had my mitigation hearing scheduled for July 23, 2008. I had a one year deferral granted for the ticket, and received the notice of the deferral with the line "Requested by mail: Date: August 11, 2008" at the bottom above the judge's signature.
--Here is my first question, would the one year deferral period run from the date of the mitigation hearing (July 23, 2008), or from the date printed on the deferral grant notice (August 11, 2008)?
This is the next part of the story. On May 16, 2009, I received a seatbelt violation, which is a traffic infraction in Washington. I assumed that this immediately cancelled the deferral because the main condition was that I not get another traffic infraction within a year. I was significantly angry about the seatbelt violation because I was just taking my coat off when the officer saw me, and only had my sealt belt off long enough to do so. When he pulled me over I told him that and pointed to my coat in the passenger seat, but he still wrote me the ticket. I decided to contest the ticket, knowing about my deferral, and at the least, hoping to get the fine lowered. My contested hearing was scheduled for August 11, 2009, exactly one year after the deferral notice I mentioned earlier. I wasn't able to get the ticket waived, although I did get the fine reduced.
--Here is my next question, have I actually violated my deferral? I would think that I have because the date of the seatbelt violation was within one year of the date of the speeding ticket. But, if things run instead from hearing dates, then my contested hearing for the seatbelt ticket was technically over a year after the mitigation hearing for the speeding ticket.
The reason why I am asking is that it is now December 7, 2009, and I STILL have not heard back from the courts about the deferral. I am certain that they would have to send me some sort of notice if I had violated the deferral. I have moved in that time period, but I changed my address quickly, and my sister and brother in law live at my old address. Point being, I know that the letter should have gone to one of the two mailboxes and I would have gotten it. Can anyone give me perspective about what is going on here, and what I should do? Ie, sit around and wait some more, or try and call the court house. Thanks

