Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Legal question, minor in possession

Even if you can get the admission thrown out, the State will subpoena the other three occupants in the car and under the penalty of Perjury they always talk. Once the ticket is written, one drink is consumption one beer is possession. Pretty low standard to prove, especially when there are witnesses which there almost always are with teenagers. Sucks, but if you live in a college town you'll see hundreds of MIP tickets in a year. Easy money for the police departments.

I would get an attorney. I would let the son know he will be paying the costs in the end. This may never interfere in his life and yet it just might. In the state I now live in this question would come up if applying for a Lawyer License. In some states this will come up to get a professional license as physician, PA, Nurse practitioner, etc. You can get an attorney to negotiate a non moving violation (disturbing the peace, loitering, etc) and pay the fine for that. I know it should not be this way. He should have been recognized for being honest and doing the right thing. Oregon, just as parts of California, would let some parade naked in a pride parade and then bust your son's chops. Tis the times we find ourselves in. I would fight to have it removed from his record. Maybe more costly, but better to be gone than show up in the future. As simple as this seems if something else comes up in the next several years it would be considered as the 2nd time he has been a problem (even if it really isn't.) Sorry I don't have a magical answer but this is my response to your request. Good luck!

Here’s the skinny:

I looked at the citation, it was for municipal court. I hit the website and got info about their alcohol diversion program. Then I went and talked to a nice lady who told me my kid qualified for diversion. Plead guilty in court, pay the fine, attend a class, keep his nose clean for 4 months, the citation will be dismissed. Then petition for expungement, $240, like it never happened.

His lesson, his money. Now he knows.





P

Good to hear.

Outside the obvious horsechit of an adult getting cited for drinking a beer, sounds reasonable enough.

This was exactly what I was referring to in my initial post. Nobody wants to label teenagers as “convicts” but it makes a point of how seriously the state/city view underage drinking. That may seem like overreach and maybe it is but those laws are a result of a lot of dead and injured teenagers. As I said in my previous post, I felt confident that this could be resolved in a way that satisfied both you and your son, without the expense of an attorney. It looks like it will be and I’m glad for you both.

Sounds like you are a good father. I’ve seen many parents simply buy their kids’ way out of legal trouble. It never ends well. Kudos to you for requiring him to take responsibility for his actions. That being said, it sounds like that cop is a real prick.

Good deal, glad things worked out for the boy.

Pharm,

good news there, but will the young man still lose driving privileges for a period of time? That would certainly suck for doing the right thing and not driving himself home.

Geno

At the end of the day, this all ended well. An inexpensive life lesson.

No, he won’t.

And thanks to all who provided their opinions.





P

Another reason people don't like cops, only a miserable deep down inside jerk would have done this to the kid in the first place.
Glad it should end well for your son.

Don't take it personal, just give us some money please.