The Picture Isn't Always Perfect

Looks like speed cameras may be coming back to North Carolina again. Today's Charlotte Observer had an article outlining proposed legislation that would bring back the automated speed cameras in limited areas in North Carolina. Court fines collected from these violations would go toward paying off a $745 million dollar debt the state owes the public school system.

The speed cameras estimate a car's speed and then takes a picture of the license plate. The registered owner of the vehicle is pleasantly surprised several weeks later when they receive a citation in the mail for speeding. The article doesn't mention that these cameras often times break down, take blurry pictures and cannot account for the situation when the registered owner of the vehicle is not the driver of the car in the picture. Here is an article that addresses the problems with the cameras. The system failed in 2006- the state would have to be creative to make it work this time.


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When Being Green Is Illegal

For anyone who was a fan of Seinfeld, one of the more memorable episodes was recently turned into a reality for 3 individuals in Maine. They were indicted in Maine for redeeming can and bottles brought from neighboring states. Maine pays 5 cents higher than other states. The individuals are accused of passing off approximately $10,000 containers. I guess it was funny for Kramer and Newman. It doesn't appear anyone is laughing in Maine.

Here is a scene from the Seinfeld episode via youtube:



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When You Shouldn't Call 911

A criminal defense lawyer receives a variety of phone calls asking for legal advice. Some are legitimate, some are not.  Courtesy of Simple Justice, watch the video below . The man calls 911 to ask what the punishment would be for growing marijuana. When asked by the 911 operator if the call was life threatening or a crime was in progress, the caller replied "crime in progress". Although marijuana plants are slow growing, the crime could literally be viewed as a 'crime in progress'. Surprisingly, the 911 operator actually answered the question and responded "depends on how big the plant is." Call a defense lawyer, not 911 for legal advice. Robert Michelson will be needing one now. He will likely face charges for misuse of 911 systems as well as other drug charges.


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