King George Reckless Driving Defense
King George County does not have an interstate like Stafford and Spotsylvania; however, plenty of people still seem to get reckless driving tickets out there. If you’re in that boat, let’s talk.
Charged with reckless driving in King George County? Contact my office now for free answers
The Charge
Virginia has lots of varieties of reckless driving. The catch-all rule (46.2-852) says that it’s a misdemeanor to drive in any way or at any speed that endangers life, limb, or property. You could be charged under this statute for something as innocuous as spinning your tires when accelerating from a traffic light.
The more common reckless driving charge is for speed. Many people who receive these tickets (46.2-862) don’t even realize they are misdemeanor offenses until they get home and start reading about them. You can be charged with reckless by speed for going over 85 mph or 20 or more mph over the limit. In King George, we see a lot of 75-80 mph cases in a 55 mph zone.
Once we know what precise charge you’re facing, we can then look at possible defenses for your case.
Begin Your Defense
If you’ve been charged with reckless driving, contact King George defense attorney Andrew Flusche today to discuss your options.
Defenses
The first step in preparing any defense is to see what evidence the Commonwealth has against you. In many reckless by speed cases, we have to see if the officer’s calibrations are in order. If the officer can’t prove that his equipment was calibrated within the previous six months, we should be able to win the case completely.
But we don’t stop there. We want to make sure we’re prepared for everything. In some cases, it makes sense to have your speedometer calibrated. If we can prove that your speedometer was reading lower than the true speed of your vehicle, the usual King George judge will give you credit for that and typically reduce the charge by the difference.
Even if we don’t have a solid defense to your case, we can still try to negotiate a better outcome with the judge. One main way we can do that is if you’re willing to do a driver improvement clinic. But don’t do it before court in King George; it’s usually best to wait and let the judge order you to the school. Depending on the facts of your case and your driving record, driving school may be the difference between a reckless driving conviction and a dismissal.
All throughout your case, we’ll work together to obtain the best outcome possible.
Recent Case Result: King George Reckless Driving Dismissed
(Cases depend upon unique facts. Past cases do not guarantee future outcomes.)
THE STORY: Jose (name changed for privacy) hired our firm for his reckless driving by speed charge. Due to the alleged speed, some judges would consider putting Jose in jail, which is not where any client wants to end up.
Andrew went to the King George General District Court with Jose and arrived early to inspect the deputy’s calibration paperwork. The deputy has to be able to prove that his tuning forks were calibrated within the six months prior to the alleged offense.
When the deputy flipped to his spot in the calibration book, his calibrations were over a year old. The hunt was on! After searching the whole book, making some phone calls, and even a field trip to pick up some calibration certificates, the deputy still did not have the correct certificate for Jose’s offense date.
CASE OUTCOME: When Jose’s case was called, Andrew pled not guilty and explained the calibration issue to the judge. The judge dismissed the reckless driving by speed case, meaning Jose has nothing on his driving record and paid no money at all to the court.
Contrast this outcome with another lawyer minutes later who did NOT inspect the deputy’s calibration paperwork: their client ended up paying money to the court, which he should not have had to pay because the deputy could not prove the defendant went fast enough to be considered reckless driving by speed.
The Court
Most King George County traffic cases are heard in the General District Court. It’s located at 9483 Kings Highway, King George, Virginia.
The current King George General District Court judge is Judge Robert Riebach. I have known him for many years and have handled hundreds of cases before him.
Traffic cases are heard on Wednesdays, typically on the 9:00 AM docket. But just because your case is set for 9:00 doesn’t mean you’ll be called then. Since they do all the traffic on one day each week, it can sometimes take a little while.
The King George Commonwealth’s Attorney (Keri Gusmann) does not usually handle traffic cases. They leave the routine cases up to the officers and the judge, but the Commonwealth would get involved on high-speed cases and other select situations.
If you have questions about a King George reckless driving ticket, give me a call.
