Update on my Underage drinking charge in PA...
11-16-2006, 05:11 AM
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Update on my Underage drinking charge in PA...
Here's the story again for those who don't remember:
" My friend drove through a police check point on our way home from visting a friend in PA on Saturday. The office breathalized all of us, not just the driver which I thought was wierd. He is 21 so he didn't have any problem, but me and another friend in the back seat are only 20 and we both showed a few points on the breathalizer. The officer wrote us both tickets for underage drinking. I called the court today and they said there is a possibility of losing my lisence for 90 days! Obviously this is the worst case senario, but I was wondering if I get my lisence suspened in PA does that mean I lose my driving privelages in both NJ and PA or just in PA?
I'm obviously going to plead not guilty, but I'm just curious as to know what would happen if I lost my lisence in a worst case senario."
Well go to court yesterday, they tell me that the departments are getting very strict on this penalty and want to try and deter underage college students from drinking and driving. So I go in there and I have the option to plead guilty, take an online course (which I have to pay for), and lose my driving privelage in PA for 3 months. They told me it would carry over to Jersey, well they were wrong, quick call to the DMV in NJ and they said no lisence is Jersey either. So I plead not guilty and try and prove my case to the judge and nothing. She says I'm guilty and charges me a $300 fine and a 3 month suspension of lisence. Funny thing is the person before me was a 21 year old girl who got a DUI with a BAC of .18, she goes in there pleads her case and leaves with a $200 fine a a 2 month suspension. So it seems that me sitting in the back seat of a car with a BAC of .06 gets a higher penalty than a person who drives a car risking other peoples lives and blows more than double the legal limit. Fing rediculous...I Hate PA! (End Rant)
" My friend drove through a police check point on our way home from visting a friend in PA on Saturday. The office breathalized all of us, not just the driver which I thought was wierd. He is 21 so he didn't have any problem, but me and another friend in the back seat are only 20 and we both showed a few points on the breathalizer. The officer wrote us both tickets for underage drinking. I called the court today and they said there is a possibility of losing my lisence for 90 days! Obviously this is the worst case senario, but I was wondering if I get my lisence suspened in PA does that mean I lose my driving privelages in both NJ and PA or just in PA?
I'm obviously going to plead not guilty, but I'm just curious as to know what would happen if I lost my lisence in a worst case senario."
Well go to court yesterday, they tell me that the departments are getting very strict on this penalty and want to try and deter underage college students from drinking and driving. So I go in there and I have the option to plead guilty, take an online course (which I have to pay for), and lose my driving privelage in PA for 3 months. They told me it would carry over to Jersey, well they were wrong, quick call to the DMV in NJ and they said no lisence is Jersey either. So I plead not guilty and try and prove my case to the judge and nothing. She says I'm guilty and charges me a $300 fine and a 3 month suspension of lisence. Funny thing is the person before me was a 21 year old girl who got a DUI with a BAC of .18, she goes in there pleads her case and leaves with a $200 fine a a 2 month suspension. So it seems that me sitting in the back seat of a car with a BAC of .06 gets a higher penalty than a person who drives a car risking other peoples lives and blows more than double the legal limit. Fing rediculous...I Hate PA! (End Rant)
11-16-2006, 05:30 AM
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I dont understand how your license comes into play if you werent the driver
How can that be part of the penalty? What if you had no license?
Not that I am condoning underage drinking, but if you were only a passenger and had a drink or two, I dont understand how that relates to your license privledges.
What if you were drinking in a parking lot?
Not that I am condoning underage drinking, but if you were only a passenger and had a drink or two, I dont understand how that relates to your license privledges.
What if you were drinking in a parking lot?
11-16-2006, 05:44 AM
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if you needed your license that badly why did you plead not guilty?
well, i'm assuming its only suspended in PA as a non issuing state cannot suspend your driving privileges in all states but still...
the judge is thinking that you are more of a danger to the public than the 21 yr old...why? because the 21 yr old can drink and prolly has been drinking quite a bit...as an under aged kid who "isn't supposed to be drinking" (we all know that doesn't happen) the thinking is that since you drink less, the booze will have more of an adverse effect on you and causes you to be more of a danger than her...also you pled not guilty which pisses them off in these ****ty little courts...if you had told the prosecutor ill plead guilty but no license suspension and $200 fine they prolly woulda taken that.
Going against them for "sh*ts and giggles" pissed them off.
I pled guilty to driving while suspended and the judge tried lecturing me saying.."get a lawyer, this is a serious offense blah blah. i interrupted saying sir, im guilty,its late, i dont want to take up the courts time anymore. I would appreciate the minimum time possible for the mandatory license suspension again as I'm taking delivery of my new car next week....the cops' and prosecutor's mouth's dropped and the judge got real pissed off despite me being nice about it...i had to show for the court date so i just wanted to be in and out without hassling anyone...fines/surcharges came to a total of $1400 and a 7 day minimum suspension....but id say i made out pretty well considering i told the judge to stfu. lol.
the judge is thinking that you are more of a danger to the public than the 21 yr old...why? because the 21 yr old can drink and prolly has been drinking quite a bit...as an under aged kid who "isn't supposed to be drinking" (we all know that doesn't happen) the thinking is that since you drink less, the booze will have more of an adverse effect on you and causes you to be more of a danger than her...also you pled not guilty which pisses them off in these ****ty little courts...if you had told the prosecutor ill plead guilty but no license suspension and $200 fine they prolly woulda taken that.
Going against them for "sh*ts and giggles" pissed them off.
I pled guilty to driving while suspended and the judge tried lecturing me saying.."get a lawyer, this is a serious offense blah blah. i interrupted saying sir, im guilty,its late, i dont want to take up the courts time anymore. I would appreciate the minimum time possible for the mandatory license suspension again as I'm taking delivery of my new car next week....the cops' and prosecutor's mouth's dropped and the judge got real pissed off despite me being nice about it...i had to show for the court date so i just wanted to be in and out without hassling anyone...fines/surcharges came to a total of $1400 and a 7 day minimum suspension....but id say i made out pretty well considering i told the judge to stfu. lol.
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11-16-2006, 05:47 AM
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Neither do I, they say they are trying to limit the amount of underage kids drinking
They told me if I was a PA resident it would have been 6 months. I've been at parties in Jersey where police officers had asked me (me being sober) to drive drunk people home to make sure they get home safely. Yet it's against the law in PA to even take a sip of alcohol if your under 21.