NBA Star Charged With Speeding 100 MPH+

Tyreke Evans is fast becoming an NBA star.  Having finished his first pro season averaging over 20 ppg for the Sacromento Kings, winning the 09/10 NBA Rookie Of The Year award and being selected to play on Team USA this summer.  Evans is only the fourth player (the others being Michael Jordan, LeBron James  and Oscar Robertson) in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in his rookie season.

He apparently also likes to drive fast having been pulled over on Memorial Day for speeding more than 100 mph.  Because his 2010 Mercedes Benz S550 has heavily tinted windows, the arresting officers approached his vehicle with guns drawn.

Evans was issued a reckless driving ticket by a California Highway Patrol officer, and then released.

In New York, speeding 100+ is an 11-point speeding ticket, the most points you can get for a moving violation and place Mr. Evans in jeopardy of being suspended.  However, a reckless driving ticket is even worse.  While it only carries 5 points, it is also a criminal charge (misdemeanor) in New York.

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Professional Race Car Driver Gets Speeding Ticket Before Indy 500

Professional race car driver Tomas Scheckter was stopped and issued a speeding ticket this Memorial Day weekend, just 2 days before he was to assume the 20th pole position in yesterday’s Indianapolis 500.

Scheckter was cruising down Interstate 65 in Indianapolis, where the speed limit is 55 miles per hour, alleged going over 100 mph.

Police also say that Scheckter was weaving in and out of traffic.  Rather than receiving a reckless driving ticket or being arrested, Scheckter was  given preferential treatment by being issued only a ticket for speed unreasonably prudent, which carries a fine of $175 to $500.

By the way, the extra practice didn’t help Scheckter too much.  He ended up finishing 15th in the Indy 500.

In case you are interested, our traffic ticket law firm has represented professional race car drivers, actors (including an Oscar-nominated actor) and Broadway stars.  Fortunately, we were able to keep their exploits out of the media spotlight and we are able to obtain favorable results for them.

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Fighting A New York Reckless Driving Ticket

Reckless driving tickets in New York are quite serious for the following reasons:

• They are criminal (misdemeanor) charges where technically you could be sentenced to jail
  
• They carry five points on your New York driver license
  
• A conviction will likely result in your auto insurance rates being increased
• Substantial fines will be imposed

The good news is that reckless driving tickets in New York City are not heard at the Traffic Violations Bureau. Therefore, a favorable outcome via a plea bargain can often be negotiated to avoid a criminal record, lessen points and keep your auto insurance from being raised.  Dismissal of these tickets is also possible when there is a defect in the original ticket filed with the court.

Our firm has fought 100s of reckless driving tickets in New York and has a favorably resolved the vast majority of them.

So what do you do if you get one?

The first thing is to be polite to officer.  Rudeness has bought many a motorist extra tickets.  Indeed, technically the officer could “run you through” the system which would mean, at least, 24 hours locked up while you wait for your case to be called.

The next thing you do is to note the court date toward the bottom of the ticket.   This is the date on which you must appear to enter a plea.  On that date, you always plead  not guilty.  It is at this time that you or your lawyer can inspect the original ticket for defects.  In New York City, the back of the ticket must establish how you were reckless driving.  A mere conclusion is insufficient.  If you are unsure, I would still ask the court for a dismissal on the grounds that it is defective.  You have nothing to lose.

If you cannot get it dismissed, then the court will often propose a plea bargain which involves no points and just a fine.  If you are offered such a deal, take it!  This will avoid the need to go to trial as well as the risk of points, a criminal record and an insurance hike.  Usually,the fine is between $150 and $300 with such a plea bargain.

Below is a list of courts in New York City which handle reckless driving tickets (also known as pink tickets).

Manhattan (New York) Criminal Court
346 Broadway
New York, NY 10013

New York Midtown Community Court
314 West 54th Street
New York, NY 10019

Queens Criminal Court
120-55 Queens Blvd
Kew Gardens, NY 11375

Bronx Criminal Court
215 East 161 Street
Bronx, NY 10451

Kings (Brooklyn) Criminal Court
120 Schermerhorn Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Kings (Brooklyn) Community Court
88-94 Visitation Place
Red Hook, NY 11201

Richmond (Staten Island) Criminal Court
67 Targee Street
Staten Island, NY 10301

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