Location: Pennsylvania (I’m based in Jersey)
This weekend my gf and I were in Pennsylvania to visit some friends and on our way back she, against my advice, crossed cones to go through a blocked off section of the street to head out the same way we came. I was in the passenger seat and got out to move a single cone out of the way to let us through.
A cop saw what we did and stopped us, he gave my gf a traffic citation for crosing the blocked off area and he gave me a non-traffic citation for moving the cone.
Specifically, my citation states the charge as “DISORDER CONDUCT HAZARDOUS/PHYSI OFF” Title 18, Section 5503, Subsection A4. It doesn’t specify a fine amount.
Like I mentioned we’re not from Pennsylvania and would just like to get this over with. The citation says we have 10 days to respond and it lists several options.
What’s the best way to proceed to just get this over with?
I’d rather just pay a fine and be done with it, but I’m not entirely sure if pleading guilty might also have other consequences. This seems like just a minor offence, moving a traffic cone, that the idea of needing a lawyer for this seems absurd.
Comments
This is a criminal offense, you can potentially go to jail for it. You need a criminal defense attorney. You likely can’t just pay the fine.
> This seems like just a minor offence, moving a traffic cone
It’s what that represents. It’s the risk of serious injury or death that can result in doing what you did. It’s not always about “did the worst possible thing happen” but “what might’ve happened.” Because if we don’t penalize and deter the conduct, thent he worse thing will eventually happen.
Title 18 is criminal codes. You really want to get a lawyer here and mitigate the risk of carrying a criminal record (and jail).