I fought the law

and I won!

Well, okay, there wasn't much fighting. There was some sitting (for two hours), a brief meeting with the Eastborough prosecutor, and a five-minute trial. During the trial, I said nothing. I mean, nothing.

The prosecutor interviewed the officer who wrote the citation, and said officer drew a nice diagram of the incident on a handy whiteboard, and then I was asked if I wanted to cross-examine.

Ha.

Those of you who know me know that I tend to be a little on the sensitive side. If I'm angry, nervous, superhappy, or overwhelmed, there's only one physical reaction my body chooses. Yep, you guessed it - turn on the waterworks. So, I did no cross-examining or testifying, I didn't even get to raise my right hand and solemnly swear. I wasn't actually crying or sobbing, but I think the judge could see the saltwater welling up in my eyes, and he knew that if I tried to speak, it was all over but the cryin' (so to speak).

So, I sat there, desperately wishing for tissues, and doing everything I could to keep the tears from flowing. I waited patiently. Then, the fateful words that saved the day came out of the officer's mouth.

"When I saw that the light was red, her vehicle was in the middle of the intersection."

Judge: "Where was she? In the middle you say?"

Officer: "Uh, almost to the middle. Not in the middle."

Thankfully, in his diagram, my car was just at the middle of the intersection, too close to call. Since it was an icy and snowy day, the judge ruled in my favor. Woo-freakin'-hoo, I tell you!

The two sweetest words an accused can hear: "Not guilty."

And, I don't have to pay the City of Eastborough $150. I think sitting around for two hours is well worth it. I'm sure my husband would disagree. I think he was ready to leave at 6:08, and we didn't walk out of that courthouse/city hall/police station/house until 8:09.



All of this took place in what I'm assuming was a formal dining room at one point in Eastborough City Hall's history, but now it is the court room.

An aside: You would be amazed at the amount of people who were there tonight because they were pulled over and driving on suspended or revoked licenses or didn't have insurance. Yes, the slugs even drive through Eastborough. Interestingly, the fine for driving on a suspended license is $50. The fine for running a red light, of which I was accused, is $100.