Eleanor & Traffic

A few weeks before our wedding an officer issued me a traffic violation for driving in between the construction barricades. Chris, Gina's Husband, was leading the way. Apparently we got in the wrong turning lane because the road supposedly merged into one - closing off the turning lane.

Picture above: there were no cones blocking the way
towards the turning lane. (Corner of Division and Locust)
Clearly other cars maneuvered to that "closed" lane
and didn't get caught. We went back to the traffic scene
and took pictures of other cars using the "closed lane."

As soon as we turned left in the corner of Division and Locust, the officer turned on his siren, cut me off in traffic, and chased after Chris. Chris turned into a street near Auto Zone. Gina and I decided check out the situation so we parked a few feet away from the incident - the Auto Zone parking lot. As soon as Gina and I were about to get out of my car, the cop approached my window.

Cop: "License and Registration please? I'm giving you a ticket."
Elle: " What did I do?"
Cop: "You were driving in between construction barricades and could have cost an accident."
Elle: "What?"
Cop: "Did you know it was illegal to drive in construction zones?"
Elle: "Yes, but the cones are not in place. There were no signs that the road is blocked. The cones are far apart and arranged vaguely."
Cop: "You would have gotten away but I would have called another cop to chase after you."
Elle: "You've got to be kidding me."
Cop: "If you have any questions, call that number above. Otherwise you need to show up at the court date."
Elle: "Well I'm going to ask for you because I do not understand this."
Cop: "I'm not going to be here. I'm going on vacation so don't ask for me."

So that was the end of that. Went to court the Monday we got back from our Honeymoon and appealed my ticket - which the judge rescheduled for another day.

Fast forward to last week... went to court, waited for an hour and a half then a prosecutor asked me what was up.

Elle: "Officer Miller gave me a ticket for driving within barricaded zones and I have pictures to prove that..."
Prosecutor: "Oh this is the one in Locust and Division, right?"
Elle: "Yes, I was with my friend who also got a ticket that same day."
Prosecutor: "I'll make a deal with you. If you pay the $50 court fee, I'll wipe everything out so you wont have anything in your record."
Elle: "Really? Just like that? You don't even want to see the pictures?"
Prosecutor: "Nah."
Elle: "Well, thank you. Where do I pay for the court fee?"
Prosecutor: "I'll grab the ticket and I'll walk you over to the clerk."
Elle: "Okay. Thanks again."

That's exactly what happened? I had to pay a $50 court fee but there's nothing in my record. Good for me and my insurance!