Charlotte Attorney's Informative Blog

Posted by Cabarrus Traffic Lawyer

From www.nbcmiami.com

Sometimes it pays to have friends in high places, but one former court clerk will have to pay the price for using her job to do favors for relatives.

Shvonne Butler, 27, was arrested Monday for allegedly tossing out traffic citations and altering traffic case results for her relatives and friends, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Butler was a deputy clerk at the Palm Beach County courthouse and for two years helped out over a dozen friends who were stopped by cops and issued tickets. In all, she may have changed about 42 different cases, authorities believe.

She was an equal opportunity judge, too. Everyone from her boyfriend to her auntie got a reprieve and she even helped wipe suspensions from driving records.

But playing judge could cost Butler more than a traffic ticket. She faces 23 counts of official misconduct, each of which carries a five year prison sentence if convicted. That’s a lot of hard time just for trying to save her friends about $5,300 in traffic fees and court costs.

Butler was caught after investigators found the traffic citations that were supposed to be processed on her desk. Officials said the recipients of the phony justice will still have to pay their tickets or appear in court.

Traffic Attorney, Charlotte traffic tickets, Concord traffic tickets, Cabarrus County traffic attorney Mecklenburg County traffic attorney, nc speeding tickets, nc speeding ticket lawyer, charlotte speeding tickets, concord speeding tickets, , traffic violation, traffic infraction, traffic court, traffic ticket lawyer, traffic  ticket attorney

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Posted by Concord Traffic Attorney

From abclocal.com

HOUSTON (KTRK) — Houston police gave out more than 165,000 speeding tickets last year, but is this really about traffic safety or money?

 A 13 Undercover investigation is helping make the streets safer by telling you where the speeding hot spots are.

 This is stuff you’ll want to know as you head off to work tomorrow morning because it can save you time and money.

 They’re armed with a laser gun at their favorite spot in the city to write speeding tickets.

 ”Those guys are writing tickets at locations because people are flagrant speeding through,” Houston Police Department Capt. Carl Driskell said.

 Business is good — very good.

 More than 1,600 speeding tickets were issued in one hot spot in just seven months, but what’s so special about the 2200 block of Durham?

 ”Good question,” Driskell said.

 If you drive over the hill, they’re usually waiting.

 ”It sure looks like we’re playing a game of gotcha,” 13 Undercover told Driskell.

 ”It could,” he replied.

 ”If you’re writing tickets at this location, and we don’t have any complaints from citizens and you don’t have any accidents out here, then what is your logic?” Harris County Pct. 6 Constable Victor Trevino asked.

 The 700 block of North Sheperd was the biggest ticket spot last year, and it’s still one of HPD’s favorite spots. But why?

 ”There isn’t an accident for a year and a half,” we told Driskell.

 ”That’s true, and you would think there would be,” he replied.

 We know what you’re thinking. Is this really about traffic safety — or about money?

 ”I don’t think anybody in law enforcement or any public official is actually going to admit that, but it’s what it would look like to the common-sense person,” Trevino said.

 Last year, you paid $20 million in fines just for speeding tickets given out by HPD.

 And if you got pulled over by Officer Matt Davis, you’ve got plenty of company. He’s the city’s ticket champion — about 10,000 tickets a month.

 He’s the only member of the One Million Dollar Club. That’s how much money he made for the city last year writing tickets. His overtime pay is $60,000.

 And yes, he’s certified.

 Houston police showed us places they have to test their lasers for accuracy but they’re not required to do it there. So if you go to court and ask for records of where they do it and when, you won’t find one.

 ”I don’t think it’s necessary,” Driskell said. “You got to trust the officers. We give them training.”

 ”It should be recorded,” Speed Measurement Laboratories President Carl Fors said. And our radar expert, Fors, says the courts have spoken.

 ”The court said in plain black and white you gotta have records of it, it must be tested it before and after each shift, and you have to have written records of it,” Fors said.

 The Harris County Sheriff’s Office wrote nearly 18,000 speeding tickets last year and chose to simply ignore its own written policy, which states that each deputy using radar shall complete a record showing the device used, accuracy checks and the results of said checks.

 Turns out Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia didn’t think it was needed any more after his office consulted with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

 ”Based on input that we’ve received from the district attorney’s office, no one is asking us for the logs and so it’s not a state requirement and essentially, the devices are essentially self-tested,” Garcia said.

 ”I never said that, and I know of no one who would have said that,” Harris County Assistant District Attorney Jim Leitner said. “Keeping the records is better for everybody.”

Traffic Attorney, Charlotte traffic tickets, Concord traffic tickets, Cabarrus County traffic attorney Mecklenburg County traffic attorney, nc speeding tickets, nc speeding ticket lawyer, charlotte speeding tickets, concord speeding tickets, , traffic violation, traffic infraction, traffic court, traffic ticket lawyer, traffic  ticket attorney

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Posted by Gaston County Traffic Attorney

From www.usatoday.com

What’s the best car to drive if you want to attract the least amount of attention from the police, and thus ward off traffic tickets?

We were intrigued last week when we saw the study by Verisk Analytics that showed the list of cars most likely to attract traffic tickets. Less noticed was the other list, the top 10 cars to drive if you want to avoid getting a ticket.

The 1996 Oldsmobile Silhouette

CAPTION

General Motors

Looking over the list of these losers, we agree, these rest-home specials are not only unlikely to draw attention from the cops, but just about everyone else as well. We doubt anyone would dare to use any of these for a romantic date, especially the Uplander. Verisk believes that it isn’t just the car that keeps tickets at bay, but the driver. It notes that the average age of the buyers of many of these cars is generally older.

Some automakers should take heart. Finally, General Motors has a boast that no other automaker can touch. It has seven of the top 10 cars so gawd-awful boring that no right-minded trooper would bother to ticket them. Great to see that the Oldsmobile Silhouette, one of history’s stranger-looking minivans in the 1996 iteration shown at right, had at least one claim to fame. We suspect you couldn’t lay down rubber in a Chevy Uplander if your life depended on it.

OK, an exaggeration. But probably not much of one. And the Mazda Tribute? What exactly was this Explorer clone supposed to be tribute to?

Here’s the list of the top 10 least-ticketed cars:

1. Buick Rainier SUV

2. Mazda Tribute SUV

3. Chevrolet C/K- 3500/2500 pickup

4. Kia Spectra sedan

5. Buick LaCrosse sedan

6. Saturn Aura hybrid sedan

7. Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan

8. Chevrolet Uplander minivan

9. Hyundai Tucson SUV

10. Pontiac Vibe crossover

Traffic Attorney, Charlotte traffic tickets, Concord traffic tickets, Cabarrus County traffic attorney Mecklenburg County traffic attorney, nc speeding tickets, nc speeding ticket lawyer, charlotte speeding tickets, concord speeding tickets, , traffic violation, traffic infraction, traffic court, traffic ticket lawyer, traffic  ticket attorney

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Posted by Gaston Traffic Attorney

From fox8.com

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio – More than 900 drivers who received tickets from speed cameras in Garfield Heights are getting their money back.

The city is reimbursing about 980 drivers who were ticketed $100 for going exactly 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Any driver caught going 11 miles per hour or more over the limit by a speed camera is issued a ticket.

Law Director Tim Riley says a miscommunication with the Garfield Heights officer reviewing the tickets led to the mix-up.

“There was a certain amount of people that called and said I understood the limit was 11 miles over and I got one for ten miles an hour over, what are you going to do? The mayor made a statement that it was going to be 11 miles over and he wanted to make sure the people understood, so the only fair way to do this was to give back the money,” Riley said.

Riley said the fines of nearly $100,000 will be sent back to drivers in the next two months.

Since the two roaming traffic cameras were put into use in June, Riley said they’ve sent out 11,000 tickets. He said the volume of tickets has gone down in the last month indicating drivers are slowing down.

Despite the fact that drivers ticketed unfairly will get their money back, the group Citizens for a Greater Garfield still say no tickets should be issued. They say the unmanned cameras violate state law.

“The question is whether or not these cameras are changing speed laws to encourage people to violate because now they think I’m not going to get a ticket until 11 miles over, I’m going to go 9 miles over,” Ronald Finnerty said.

Finnerty and others led a petition drive to get the traffic camera issue put on the November ballot. A yes vote would ban the unmanned traffic and red light cameras in the city.

The two cameras are moved around the city, but right now have been focused on school zones. Drivers who are 7 miles per hour over the limit in a school zone will receive a ticket from the cameras.

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Posted by Cabarrus Traffic Attorney

From thebluebanner.com

For some local drivers, a lead foot could lead to a light wallet.

According to a report released Sept. 2 by the group Speedtrap.org, Asheville was named the worst speed trap city with a population less than 100,000 in North Carolina.

Speedtrap.org operates the National Speed Trap Exchange. The site provides an online forum where users can pick from all 50 states and most of Canada, and find speed trap locations in virtually any city or town.

According to the National Motorist Association, which sponsors Speedtrap.org, the data used to determine which cities to name as the worst speed traps came directly from the National Speed Trap Exchange.

The worst speed trap city overall in North Carolina, according to the exchange, is Raleigh.

However, local law enforcement defended their patrol tactics against this title.

Melissa Williams, spokeswoman for the Asheville Police Department, said unlike speed traps, Asheville patrol officers write speeding tickets to save lives, not to increase profits.

“We’re out there enforcing speeding from a public safety standpoint,” Williams said. “As far as revenue, that’s not even on the table because we don’t get revenue. If you get a speeding ticket, the department doesn’t make any money from that.”

Sgt. Curtis Jones of the APD’s traffic safety unit said he felt perception had a great deal to do with Asheville’s image as a speed trap city.

Jones said once a month the police force conducts radar training and radar calibrations on sections of Merrimon Avenue and I-240. However, officers are not allowed to pull drivers over during these tests. Jones said he thinks people misinterpret these training exercises as speed traps.

“The illusion that we’re conducting speed traps is actually radar training where officers are not permitted to do any enforcement activities,” Jones said.

Williams said these locations were used because they offer straight roadways for officers to test their equipment.

They also give officers a safe place for training.

“It’s a good gathering place for law enforcement. It’s a safe roadway to sit beside and get the training they need, but they do not enforce,” Williams said.

Summer Sprouse, UNC Asheville junior political science student, recently got her first two speeding tickets in the past few months. She said she felt a greater police presence on the roads recently.

“I think they are patrolling a lot more. I’ve seen multiple officers sitting on both sides of 240 recently,” she said.

Jones said I-240 is a prime location to make sure radars are correctly calibrated before they do the official radar training on Merrimon Avenue.

Trooper Gene Williamson, a traffic safety officer for the N.C. Highway Patrol, said he deals with speeders every day, but doesn’t view Asheville as a speed trap.

“I’m a little surprised,” Williamson said. “I didn’t know that we’d had that honor, if you can call it that. Speeding is one of the leading factors we see in collisions, so in that respect I guess I wasn’t surprised.”

Williamson said speeding is defined as going over the speed limit, but other factors often affect an officer’s decision to take enforcement action against a driver.

“We don’t have a set number over the limit where we start writing tickets. Each officer has their own threshold based on traffic volume, weather, road conditions and other factors,” Williamson said.

He also said construction zones were given extra protection against speeding and that officers patrol those areas heavily, even if workers are not in plain sight.

Jones said although he understood that getting a ticket was never fun, Asheville patrol officers were out to prevent tragedies, not ruin a person’s day.

“Do people like getting tickets? Of course not, but we’re out there to change driving behaviors, which hopefully will reduce motor vehicle crashes and potentially save lives,” he said.

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Posted by Charlotte Attorney

01.09.2010 | Author: Carina Smith | Posted in Financial Planning

Successful retirement planning doesn’t only mean that you’ll have enough to live during retirement, but also that you’ll be able to protect yourself from anything life-changing that could considerably affect the way you live. Aside from unexpected death, possibly one of the greatest tragedies a retiree could encounter would be separation from his or her partner in the form of a divorce.

When you take the possibility of divorce into account when looking at your retirement plans, you’ll find that you may need to take steps early on to protect your wealth from unfair distribution. Aside from the distribution of assets, which may depend on the length of your marriage, your state of residence, and other factors, you’ll need to take care of your formerly conjugal liabilities.

Your home may be one liability that you haven’t considered as such. In some cases, divorce results in one partner keeping the home. This requires that the costs of the spouse who leaves should be calculated, including mortgage payments, property taxes, and insurance premiums. In other instances, sale of the home is in order, which results in the distribution of the proceeds to the former partners.

When you’re in the midst of your divorce, you’ll find that getting along even if you aren’t together will save you much time and money. Of course, this depends on how amicable your settlement and the divorce is. If you see eye to eye on many things, you’ll be able to get more when you sell your home, for example, as you no longer need to hire a series of appraisers – just one that you both trust. The lack of haste can also help you both make more money by waiting for favorable market conditions before you sell your home, compared to shouldering losses in a rough real estate market.

If you’re incorporating the possibility of divorce into planning your retirement or updating your financial plans, you may be inhibited from looking at your partnership in such a clinical and practical manner, especially when times are good. However, the so-called 50/50 chance means that there are equal chances of wedding bliss or a painful divorce – you should take the proper steps to decrease the stress that comes with this transition, and protect yourself from suffering huge financial losses.

Puritan Financial Group has years of experience in dealing important financial decisions. Puritan Financial Group will listen to you and your loved ones and craft a custom financial solution that supports your life goals.

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Posted by Charlotte Divorce Lawyer

By JoAnne Sommer

Divorce is a highly emotional experience for most people. And the fact many important financial decisions must be made under such stressful circumstances helps explain why critical mistakes often result. Here are some financial mistakes that people commonly make when divorcing — as well as tips for you to help your clients avoid them: Failure to Research Legal Options Divorcing couples have several legal options, including mediation, arbitration, the collaborative process and litigation. “The biggest mistake people make when divorcing is choosing a lawyer before knowing what they need,” says Cathie Hurlburt, senior financial planning advisor with Assante Financial Management Ltd. in Vancouver. “Mediation is the cheapest option, but the process that best suits your circumstances is usually the most cost-effective, both emotionally and financially.” Failure to understand the value of different assets A 50/50 division of property isn’t necessarily a fair division, says Debbie Hartzman, an advisor with Professional Investments (Kingston) Inc. in Kingston, Ont. “Many people want to keep the family home for emotional reasons, but in so doing they might leave pension funds on the table,” she says. “The house comes with costs, including mortgage payments, taxes and maintenance, while a pension produces income and costs nothing.” Hartzman says the you should help clients prepare a financial plan to determine if it’s wise to tie up equity in the home or if the clients should opt for retirement funds instead. Having Unrealistic Expectations It’s difficult for many people who are divorcing to accept that their standard of living will probably decline. That’s why they need a budget that reflects their new economic circumstances. “People often think they can maintain their current lifestyle on half of their former income,” says Hartzman. “They need to be realistic about what they can afford.” That includes spending on their children, says Linda Cartier, president of Sudbury, Ont.-based Financial Decisions Inc. and the Academy of Financial Divorce Specialists. “Parents frequently try to maintain the existing level of activities for their kids when it’s not feasible financially.” Divorce, says Cartier, forces people to re-think their retirement plans and make tough financial decisions, such as selling the house. “It’s also a time when many people get into debt and they may need help with budgeting and cash-flow projections.” Failure to guarantee support payments with life insurance It’s important to have an insurance policy that secures support payments in the event of the death or disability of the paying spouse, says Hartzman, adding that such payments should be made in addition to support. Such policies are often done improperly, notes Cartier: “The person who receives the benefit should own the policy. Otherwise, it may lapse or be cancelled by the paying spouse before the recipient is informed.” Failure to understand the tax consequences of various assets Different assets have different tax consequences. Unfortunately, people who are divorcing often don’t understand how those assets will be treated when they are sold, which can lead to unpleasant surprises. You should flag this as an issue, ask the client what he or she is planning to do with the assets and explain the tax consequences before the settlement agreement is finalized. IE Read other news from our Building Your Business Daily Section

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Posted by Concord Traffic Attorney

www.nbcmiami.com

The ticket-happy former Florida state trooper who wrote up a host of phony citations was hauled off to jail Thursday to begin serving his sentence.

Paul C. Lawrence, 38, was placed in handcuffs and taken away from a Miami courtroom to begin serving his 364-day sentence for falsifying records.

The 12-year veteran of the FHP based in Miami-Dade County will serve two years of probation upon his release, can never be a police officer again, and will have to pat restitution to his victims.

Lawrence was arrested earlier this year after motorists began complaining they were cited for offenses they knew nothing about. Many of the victims weren’t even in the country when the alleged traffic violations took place.

Lawrence used information from old traffic stops to make the fake records, which prosecutors believe helped boost his numbers and his reputation in the eyes of his bosses.

More than 200 traffic tickets issued by Lawrence were dismissed as a result.

Lawrence pleaded guilty to the scheme in July.

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Posted by Charlotte Traffic Attorney

From syracuse.com

Syracuse, NY – The latest crackdown on distracted drivers resulted in more than 2,100 tickets being issued over the past 10 days to motorists accused of driving while texting or using their cell phones.

Syracuse police Sgt. Joel Cordone said city police issued 1,210 tickets to motorists for using their cell phones while driving and another 122 tickets to motorists for texting while driving through Saturday.

New York State Police Trooper Jack Keller said state troopers issued 194 tickets to motorists for using their cell phones and six tickets for motorists texting. State police also issued another 173 traffic tickets during the same time period.

Onondaga County Sheriff’s Sgt. John D’Eredita said sheriff’s deputies ticketed 541 motorists for using a cell phone while driving and 40 for texting while driving in addition to citing 275 other traffic violations.

Authorities launched this second crackdown July 22. An earlier crackdown in April resulted in 2,185 drivers ticketed for cell phone use and 115 ticketed for texting.

Syracuse is one of two cities in the country to target distracted drivers in the pilot program using state and federal grant money.

Two more enforcement periods are planned for Oct. 7 to 16 and April 7 to 16, 2011.

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