ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
but my method might get you a reality show on cable. the extra money will pay for the tickets  and get the roof fixed!

hey! think she can pitch a Rose Reality Show? find the roof leak. deal with crappy clients. play with the dog. yell at the kid.

 rosedraws wrote: 
I'm sure the court hires Beaker to Google all transgressors and he will find this admission of your guilt. You are so-o-o screwed.

 JrzyTmata wrote: 
I'm not sure your newfangled ways are better than the old tried & true.

 JrzyTmata wrote: 

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
might as well set your kid afloat in a balloon and call the media for good measure.

 BillJ wrote: 
Just make sure your underwear is on backwards, too. For luck.
And while you're at it, make sure mine is, too. 

 jagdriver wrote: 
Just to be on the safe side, call in a bomb scare at the elementary school 15 minutes beforehand...

 Coaxial wrote: 
Same in Atlanta... they're too busy to waste the court's time over something small. Bigger fish to fry.

If you received the citation directly from a cop, and the cop doesn't show (a frequent occurrence), the judge throws out the case.

 JrzyTmata wrote: 

Down here you can opt for a section 978 or some such number and you end up paying court costs and if you don't get another ticket for six months everything is written off, but if you do you have to pay. Not sure if NH has anything like that.

 BillJ wrote: 

I agree.  Make sure you bring all proof of current registration.  If there is leeway for reducing the fines (and many jurisdictions do allow for this), this proof will be critical for purpose of obtaining it.  

Ignorance of any law is not a defense.  But stating that you thought you were allowed to bring it back with bill of sale and then get temporary registration would go toward getting fines reduced (if that is within discretion of the administrative law judge).  I would not try to make up a different story.     

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 

Just make sure the dates on the documents (summons, registration) support that claim.

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
well, damn. that sucks. not sure what kind of case she can present now.

I purchased a vehicle through a private sale. Can I drive it without plates to get the vehicle home?
No. You are required to obtain a 20-day temporary plate. Submit the following, along with a $10.00 fee, to the DMV, Concord, or any registration substation:

• A photo ID.
• Proof of residency.
• Proof of ownership.
• The seller’s name and address.

 BillJ wrote: 
Sure, but never leave any doubt that you were going straight to the DMV. Just got the steps reversed is all.

 rosedraws wrote: 
I'm pretty sure we found documentation that said it was ok to drive it with the title to get it home.
I'll google in a few. just got home, feeling crappy. think my BP is either too high or too low. gotta relax a bit and take a reading.

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 

I think these things depend on whether or not you get a prick for a judge, or one having a bad day. I think the best you could hope for is a reduced fine, if you show that you followed up and obtained the proper documentation once you knew what to do.

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
.... and cry. A lot. 

 rosedraws wrote: 
Well I'd avoid talking about knowing it was illegal and just stick with "huh? how do people get cars home then?"

 JrzyTmata wrote: 
What I did was illegal.  We should have bought the car, but left it with the previous owner and came back home and gotten temporary plates, then gone back to pick up the car after we had the temporary plates to put on it. 

Since the car was 2 hours away, this was not a feasible scenario. And we thought the car had plates, because it did in the pictures.  (Every other time I've ever bought a used car, we drove home with the previous plates on it.)

We were admittedly pretty dumb about it.

I'm just not sure the best way to talk about it at the hearing.