A plea of not guilty and
a request for a court trial may be made by mail. If a plea of not guilty by
mail is entered, the right to have a trial within the statutory time limits
is waived.
To enter a plea by mail,
a written statement, dated and signed, that a plea of not guilty is being entered
and a court trial is requested must be submitted with the full amount due listed
on the courtesy notice. The request must be sent by certified or registered
mail to the court at the address listed on the notice, at least five days prior
to the required appearance or due date.
Specific dates of unavailability
within a 60 day time period from the date of the written statement must be included
so that the court may consider those dates. The court will send a written notice
giving the date and time the court trial has been scheduled. All witnesses and
documentation to support the case must be available on the day of trial. The
officer who wrote the ticket will be present.
If found not guilty, or
if the case is otherwise dismissed, your money will be refunded by mail within
30 days.
Failure to appear at the
time of trial is a separate misdemeanor offense and could be added as a charge.
If a mandatory appearance for the violation charged was not required, the amount
you sent in could be ordered forfeited as a final disposition of the ticket.
If a mandatory appearance for the violation was required, an additional violation
of failure to appear could be added, a civil assessment added for that failure
to appear, a hold placed against the drivers license, and the matter could be
referred for civil collection.
