Here Comes Da Judge

My husband is appearing in Night Court tonight in Washington, MO. One of his motorcycle riding buddies will be right there with him. A few weeks ago on a rather dreary cold Saturday (sounds like everyday lately!) three of the guys went out for a ride. Following lunch in Washington, Steve needed to fuel up. The two Jims followed him through an array of construction cones to an opening allowing entry into the gas station on a major Washington thoroughfare. Following the fill-up, Jim D zipped through the cones back onto the roadway, while my Jim and Steve hesitated, trying to determine the correct way to leave the station in light of the road construction. There was, of course, no signage to help drivers out. In the meantime a police cruiser pulled up behind Jim and Steve and blasted them with his bruuuuute, bruuuuute, bruuuuute horn, which they took as an indication to get out of his way. They pulled out onto the road and he immediately pulled them over. He issued them both tickets for making an illegal turn onto the road, and demanded that they call Jim D back so he could get a ticket as well. They refused to contact Jim D, but as he handed them their tickets the cop told them they could fight them in court if they wanted to. After all, there was no sign saying they couldn't exit they way they did. Doesn't that sound like entrapment? The cop probably sat in that lot writing tickets all day long, knowing that most people will just pay them and not take the time out to appear in court.

In fact Jim had pretty much decided to just pay the ticket since his record is clean. But he talked to another riding buddy of his who is a cop in Kansas, and he advised Jim to fight it. First of all it is the principle of the matter, but second of all if Jim were to get pulled over again for some reason, and another ticket is already on his record he would be much more likely to get a ticket than be given a warning. So tonight he and Steve will be in court. Here comes da judge!