Yes, I'm giving a courthouse 5-stars. And I was guilty AF*…read more
I was cited for speeding and broken stop lamps (what I would normally call brake lights but I'm always up for learning new terminology) which I honestly had no idea were burnt out. I was kicking myself for not taking the 15 right after fueling up further south on the strip. Instead, I took the scenic route which got me into trouble. I'm not a speed queen/demon, but not having the extra cars/trucks around certainly makes you think differently (or in my case, not at all) on the road.
My first visit was to go ahead and just pay the ticket that same day since I was already there, and the nice lady at the window asked me if I was sure; that I would get the point(s) on my license if I did so right then. I paused and she asked if I would be willing to do 5-hour traffic school, which I said yes. This ticket ended up being $506 (gulp) so I was enrolling back in school for sure.
Over the course of nearly a month, I was in touch with this place via email and phone with multiple questions which they answered proficiently and patiently (and I had a lot of questions) and even though I dealt with more than a couple employees, all were pleasant to speak to (Toni was the only one whose name I caught, but all were great).
I arrived a couple weeks before I was actually due, and waited around with about 20 or so others around 9a on a Wednesday (the only day they do traffic court). Considering I've never really been to court before, I made sure to pay attention to the bailiff as he explained policy/procedure, etc. Thankful I wasn't the first one to go, I was able to get an idea of how this particular situation worked. I was somewhat mortified that we all had to do this in front of one another (again, not familiar with this kind of thing) since I've always dreaded public speaking but I had a good impression of this judge where I felt a little more at ease. I was about 15th to go when there were only about 4-5 others left, and I'm pleased to say this was a painless experience. The judge had my email to the courthouse with him, and he referenced some of the statements I had made to make sure we were on the same page.
Left this establishment in a much better mood, and later when I finally left town, I took it upon myself to actually take the very same road I was ticketed on, but obviously at the speed limit. During this relaxing drive, I even passed a cop (possibly the same one who ticketed me) near where I was pulled over prior. I wasn't about to repeat history!
Odds and ends:
-Apparently you do not have to, but I noticed that only one other guy made an effort to dress up besides myself. It certainly doesn't work against you to try though. Men, if you're wearing a hat, don't forget to remove it once in the courtroom.
-No, I did not gamble the money I had saved from this ticket.
-Just my opinion: I'm glad this occurred in the state of Nevada; I have a feeling things would not have gone so well in my current home state...
Although I had a great experience here, it's certainly not something I want to go through again. We were all treated in kind regardless of the situation, so just respect the judge and keep your attitude/ego in check.
*Apologies for the term, but I really was.