Tweet
"South, man, ya gotta take this one!" the rather frantic sounding clerk says as she sticks her head in the door. She looks freaked.
"Great," I think to myself. "Another loon, no doubt." Everyone comes to me with the crazies since I do not put up with their BS.
I put down the paper work I have been handling, and go into the traffic ticket arraignment court area. A tight lipped, angry looking woman is standing at the counter tapping her foot.
"Hello," I say with my usual smile, "can I help you?"
"Yes," the woman hisses, "I was telling this person <points to the clerk> that I will not be judged and this ticket is bogus." She flings the ticket at me. It lands on the floor.
I reach down and retrieve it. I look at it. The woman is charged with running a stop sign and driving with expired inspection and no insurance. Three offenses in one stop. The clerk hastily hands me all the paper work our system has generated for each ticket.
"Well," I begin to explain, forcing myself not to get angry at the ticket being thrown at me, "this is your arraignment on the tickets. You have the option today of working something out on them or requesting a trial. You have the right to a trial in front of a jury or you may choose to have it in front of the judge. What do you wish to do?"
"YOU WILL NOT JUDGE ME!!!!!!!" the woman screams in response.
Now my smile is gone.
"You will keep your voice down or you will be escorted from the building," I say with the sternness I have learned from doing this for too long. "We are not here to argue with you about your case or whatever procedural issue you have. If you want to go to trial and argue your case or whatever else, you will be given a date for your hearing. Now, what do you want to do?"
The security guard has by now made it over to us and is standing next to me.
"I. Told. You. That. No. One. Is. Gonna. Judge. Me," the woman seethes.
"Very well," I reply with my smile returned.
I mark "JURY TRIAL" on all the paperwork and hand it to the clerk who scurries out to get the setting.
"Please have a seat," I tell her, "the clerk will have your paperwork ready in a moment."
Security tells the woman to sit. At least she is able to comprehend that.
The clerk returns in a few minutes with the trial date for the three charges. When the woman sees she has been set for trial, she goes ballistic and again starts ranting that she did not ask for this. Now I have had enough.
"Madam," I tell her, "you refused to say what you wanted to do; therefore the law mandates an assumption of a not guilty plea, and thus a trial is required. Since you would not indicate that you wanted the trial in front of the judge, the law mandates that the trial be in front of a jury as that is your Constitutional right. Now, your business here is finished until your trial date. Please leave. Now."
The guard escorts the woman out as she continues to scream that we are not going to stand in judgment of her.
Can’t wait for the trial!
"Great," I think to myself. "Another loon, no doubt." Everyone comes to me with the crazies since I do not put up with their BS.
I put down the paper work I have been handling, and go into the traffic ticket arraignment court area. A tight lipped, angry looking woman is standing at the counter tapping her foot.
"Hello," I say with my usual smile, "can I help you?"
"Yes," the woman hisses, "I was telling this person <points to the clerk> that I will not be judged and this ticket is bogus." She flings the ticket at me. It lands on the floor.
I reach down and retrieve it. I look at it. The woman is charged with running a stop sign and driving with expired inspection and no insurance. Three offenses in one stop. The clerk hastily hands me all the paper work our system has generated for each ticket.
"Well," I begin to explain, forcing myself not to get angry at the ticket being thrown at me, "this is your arraignment on the tickets. You have the option today of working something out on them or requesting a trial. You have the right to a trial in front of a jury or you may choose to have it in front of the judge. What do you wish to do?"
"YOU WILL NOT JUDGE ME!!!!!!!" the woman screams in response.
Now my smile is gone.
"You will keep your voice down or you will be escorted from the building," I say with the sternness I have learned from doing this for too long. "We are not here to argue with you about your case or whatever procedural issue you have. If you want to go to trial and argue your case or whatever else, you will be given a date for your hearing. Now, what do you want to do?"
The security guard has by now made it over to us and is standing next to me.
"I. Told. You. That. No. One. Is. Gonna. Judge. Me," the woman seethes.
"Very well," I reply with my smile returned.
I mark "JURY TRIAL" on all the paperwork and hand it to the clerk who scurries out to get the setting.
"Please have a seat," I tell her, "the clerk will have your paperwork ready in a moment."
Security tells the woman to sit. At least she is able to comprehend that.
The clerk returns in a few minutes with the trial date for the three charges. When the woman sees she has been set for trial, she goes ballistic and again starts ranting that she did not ask for this. Now I have had enough.
"Madam," I tell her, "you refused to say what you wanted to do; therefore the law mandates an assumption of a not guilty plea, and thus a trial is required. Since you would not indicate that you wanted the trial in front of the judge, the law mandates that the trial be in front of a jury as that is your Constitutional right. Now, your business here is finished until your trial date. Please leave. Now."
The guard escorts the woman out as she continues to scream that we are not going to stand in judgment of her.
Can’t wait for the trial!
He is my Black Dragon (and yes, a good one) strong, protective, the guardian. I am his Silver Dragon, always by his side, shining for him, cherishing him.
Comment