[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Frodo

Actually, lawyers from anywhere (or anyone else knowledgeable in the field of traffic law) are welcome to weigh-in on this one...

My kid and his wife headed to Virginia for a long weekend, visiting friends and hiking some mountain trails for a few days. Unfortunately, he got nailed by the infamous VA traffic law enforcement folks on the way back. I sort of knew about how assiduously the traffic laws (esp speeding) tend to be enforced there, I knew they were going there---but it never dawned on me to mention being careful in that state before they left. Anyway, after having been bumper to bumper in Labor Day returning-home traffic for an extended period, things finally opened up and, feeling suddenly freed, he briefly wound it out a bit. Got clocked doing 92 in a 70, which apparently in Virginia amounts to reckless driving and can, potentially, give rise to license revocation and even possible time in the slammer. Court appearance in such cases is apparently mandatory---never mind the fact that he lives in Ohio.

My (and his) questions are numerous. With the stakes this high, I told him that at least talking to (and quite possibly retaining) an attorney might be a good idea here. What's the best way to find a lawyer in another state, ideally one knowledgeable in traffic law? I'm sure it's tough getting a hold of whoever would actually be prosecuting the case, but is there generally any possibility of negotiating a case like this down via a telephone call? I told him that, as a first time offender (he's had maybe one prior speeding offense, which he pleaded down to next to nothing as I recall---and that was in Ohio) jail time seems highly unlikely; short of him bad-mouthing the judge (which is not gonna happen), generally speaking that's an accurate statement, right? If he has someone represent him at the hearing, is it always mandatory that the defendant himself be in court? For Ohio folks knowledgeable in the area, is there a reciprocity whereby if he loses his driving privileges in VA that might also happen in OH? (A simple stop and ticket---no accident, drugs/alcohol, etc were involved.)

He's a good kid who simply picked a bad time and place to let it roll. Other than at the track he rarely does stuff like this, and I'd like to help him out here if possible. Any advice (other than Slow Down in VA---and he's already figured that one out) would be appreciated.

VA is very tough on speeders; a lot will depend upon how he was clocked, if it was by radar, it is going to be difficult to fight. You need to get him a competent lawyer immediately.