News, Man fighting 'speed trap' ticket on Highway 111. (Cookeville, Sparta: city hall, attorney)

[JD59]

COOKEVILLE -- Maybe it's true you can't fight city hall or beat a speeding ticket in court.

But Ron Noonan is going to give it a try come March 7.

The 65-year old Sparta man, now retired, made his living as a certified photogrammetrist (the science of measuring by use of photographs), and he says the place where he got ticketed last December for driving 72 mph is just not fair and may not be legal.

Herald-Citizen Online Edition - Cookeville, TN

[2mares]

Ill be rooting for him. He is absolutly right. They need to pick a speed limit on that stretch and stick to it.

[firepower]

I know two people myself who've gotten tickets in the exact same spot! Good luck to him.
I agree,as long as it's 4 lanes just pick a speed,maybe somewhere in the 55-60 range,& stick to it.The speed limit can go anywhere from 70 down to 35-40( in Sparta)within a half a mile or so.


firepower

[alleycat]

He should just be glad the police in Cookeville didn't shoot his dog for being a dangerous attack poodle.

"Bark and you're dead, mister."

[JMT]

Originally Posted by John1960

COOKEVILLE -- Maybe it's true you can't fight city hall or beat a speeding ticket in court.

But Ron Noonan is going to give it a try come March 7.

The 65-year old Sparta man, now retired, made his living as a certified photogrammetrist (the science of measuring by use of photographs), and he says the place where he got ticketed last December for driving 72 mph is just not fair and may not be legal.

Herald-Citizen Online Edition - Cookeville, TN

I hope this guy wins! Some of those speed limits seem mighty arbitrary. As firepower said, the ones in Sparta are the most ridiculous.

[seasidepools]

Thanks for your interest in My speed trap ticket-bottom line=I was fined $5. Why only $5 and why not, a not guilty verdict?
!. If not found guilty, it would have been a public admission that the ticket was illegal and that a speed trap did exist.
2. It was estimated that over 8 million dollars were taken from the local community, illegally from that 1 mile stretch. State would have had to return those monies back to the victims.
3. subpoena for records of the number of tickets issued even for a three hour period were ignored and allowed not to be presented. State captain claimed that it was a task force effort. Defendant (me) claimed that it was more like gestapo tactics. Officer claimed that the state determined that the records were private. (traffic tickets are not private-it is public)
4. Court Order signed by Judge showed $5 fine with court costs xxxed out indicating that no court costs were incurred. However, if I hadn't checked with the Clerk of Court I would have had been arrested for not paying Court costs of over $750. I paid the court costs, but the time limit for appeal had lapsed or I would have appealed again. I sometimes wonder if it was not intentional to "teach me a Lesson" I have been having troubles and major problems with that court system ever since. Yes, I have learned a lesson. I will continue fighting the corruption.
5. Yes I had a fool for an attorney, as pointed out during the hearing by a judge. An attorney would have cost me over $7,000 to fight that ticket. The City of Cookeville supported me, The County supprted me, The State of Tennessee Engineering Dept (they set the speed limit there) supported me in that the signs were illegal and replaced them before the last hearing to prove that they were illegally placed. Now there are eight (8) signs in the same area showing reduction of speed ahead and NOW the speed trap is no longer effective. Tickets are about non existant for mile one (1) on state route 111 heading north. I wasn't completely ignorant of the law, I knew that what they were dong was not right. I was pretty ignorant of the terminology though--- A little humor - One Judge said to me as I was called " so you are the pro se defendant" I thought that he was calling me a *****!
True you can't win, but if you know that you are going to lose, give em hell!
I did all this alone, no one else could be as foolish.