Greetings,
In 2008, I received a speeding ticket in Pender County, North Carolina. There were actually two tickets, speeding (110 in a 70 I believe) and careless driving. There was no set fine amount on the ticket and a mandatory court appearance. Being from NJ, I was unable to return to NC for the court appearance. My license has been suspended in NC and my home state of NJ since 2009. I am trying to restore my license without having to return to NC. The DMV refers me to the court, and the court refuses to answer any questions over the phone. What are my options? Thank you.
Hello,
My name is Grant Scheuring. I am a solo attorney who practices primarily in Wake County, but has handled matters in Pender County.
In order to restore your driving privilege, you’re going to need an attorney to file a motion to re-calendar your citation and resolve it. Your attorney should also pull your driving history and verify that that is the only unresolved matter needed to restore your privilege. After your citation is resolved, you are going to need to pay a restoration fee to the DMV.
You’re reaching a dead end with the clerk, because they are not attorneys and are unable to give you legal advice.
Regarding a potential resolution for your citation, in Pender County, they will either reduce the speed of your citation or offer you a non-moving violation. Given the high speed of this citation, they might just reduce it. Anytime you miss court in NC, you are assessed a $200 fine (referred to as a failure to appear fine). That is in addition to your court costs, which I would have to reference to find out what they were in 2008. However, for a citation like this, I would expect to pay between $400-$500 for court costs.
It is important to note that I am only licensed to practice law in NC and cannot give you any advice about your NJ privilege.
Feel free to call me if you’d like a free consultation.
