Cops and offroading.
 

so yah I might've gotten pulled over for offroading, but well, the cop didnt see me. So I have some questions.

Does a cop have to see you offroading or it be terribly obvious to be offroading? I was driving a friend around he was checking out my subs because he was going to buy them. There's this place where the forest service is ALWAYS checking on for people. Supposedly it closes at 10 pm and i didnt know that.

So i was driving thru and (its like a huge cul-de-sac) right by the main road it turns, its hard to explain, i guess ill make a pic, there's grass. So i started driving into the grass, and thought i saw headlights getting brighter, so i didnt spin much and got off tryin to look natural. of course i got pulled over. There were many many tracks in the grass. I was very nervous, i always am. He asked me if i did it "no" , then showed me grass off my tires "I live near here, i most likely picked that up from my yard".

So my question is basically how a cop proves you were offroading? I wouldnt admit it to him because in my mind I figured if he's gonna stick me for destruction of property(sadly almomst 2000 dollar fine) on federal lands that I would be better by never admitting it. I mean its ****in grass, not evidence!

Your opinion. I don't need to hear im dumb for getting caught. I know im dumb already haha.

Aaron

everythings outta proportion here. What the pic shows is basically the cop never saw me offroading cause the trees blocked it. What he saw is my headlights arc around, but they didnt arc too much because i purposedly stopped spinning to make sure my headlights looked sorta normal(for turning). He knew i prolly offroaded, but all he did was pull a tiny bit of grass off my tire. he even said he wouldnt do it because he didnt wanna look underneath my vehicle. I'm REALLY glad i took my mudguards off. I seriously have about 10 lbs on each side of hard dry mud that basically says "this has been here"

http://i5.tinypic.com/20rn1o9.jpg

I don't know too much about these types of laws and such...

But from what I know, he has to have probable cause to charge you.

Now PC can be fresh grass on your tires and grass tracks in the field leading from your truck, etc.

Most likely he would have wrotten that in the police report and it may follow an investigation. I highly doubt it, unless your cops have nothing better to do.

If you didn't get sited for trespassing or destroying public property, I doubt you will.

Like I said, I don't know too much, but I've been put in the same situation once. Needless to say, the rangers always just ask us to leave and to "tread lightly"

Basicly i have been cought in the same situation but i was the one making the track's! (but the cops dont need to know that!) Well when i left about 1 block down the road i got pulled over and the cop told me that there was fresh mud and grass on my truck and there was alot of fresh mud and grass all over the road. Then he started wrighting me a ticket to go to court and pay for damages but then i asked him did you see me leave the field? and he replied NO. Then i asked him how he know's it was me and he replied that the evadence on my truck (the mud) was enough. Then i said ok and took the ticket. When i went to court i asked the judge what phisical evadence they has to support there claim. They talked a little bit and gave me a court fee of $10.00 and that was it! So my reply to your question is to ask the judge when you get into court what phisical evedence they have to support the case. That is about it.

Why did you stop?

I left my gun in the escalade?

Yah, that was my plan on the evidence. grass is everywhere, doesntseem like any evidence to me. He difinately didnt see me do it.

Aaron

So did you get a ticket or not?

I have also been a similar situation but i was caught in the act. I was following my buddy and the lid to his cooler flew out the back of his truck and land on the side of the road, which kind of sloped off and at the bottom there was a bunch of mud. So we turned around to get the lid, drove down the slope. And while he got out to get the lid i was doing dounuts trying to spray him and his truck with mud. When i was coming around on one of the dounuts I looked up at the road to see a cop with his lights on, so like any normal person would do, i stopped, drove back up the slope and as I did he got on his PA system and shouted and i qoute, "Stay on the go d*** road or I'll write you a ticket." then he just drove away.

cops that care about that will usually just abuse their power and try to intimidate you into admiting to anything.

Most cops will tell you to get the hell out of here and to stay away.

i got a tresspassing warrant once... that's it. He told me i was lucky he caught me vs. the owner of the land.

i just wanted to document this addmission first. now, if you have the same crap attitude you have with us, then i would say the cop got you. you said you saw headlights and usually common sense means if you saw him then he saw you. grass on your tires is evidence. dont come crying on the board because you broke the law. especially if you pretty much shatted on land covered by a FEDERAL LAW. would you leave your trash at yellowstone? nevermind you probably would.

You always post like a dickhead.
I never cried about anything. I didnt get a ticket, whats to whine about.

How exactly does headlights = vehicle? I could see he was coming around the corner and i was about 4 feet in and got out before he could see me. Common sense my ass. I even made a picture, but your neanderthal skull couldnt understand it "trees you cant see through".

Grass on tires is not evidence. Just because you mow grass for a living doesn't make your legal advice correct.

Why dont you stay the hell outta my thread. You have a bad attitude and always make attacks upon my posts.

Aaron

#1 if you saw him, then he saw you. otherwise you would have stayed in the grass if something didnt spook you.
#2 when has grass grown on the road?
#3 headlights typically are required for a vehicle, so yes headlights=vehicle
#4 you made the post and asked us a question.

i get pulled over all the time and never post on here like most do on here.

There's nothing to whine about, and nothing to discuss legally. He didn't get ticketed. The fact of the matter is, he SHOULD have gotten ticketed, and got very very lucky!

Usually damaging property on government controlled facilities is a serious thing. If you run into a park-ranger, he'll call higher authority if it's enough damage.

The only advice I can give you is not to be stupid and go off-roading where there's a potential of getting caught - like a damn PARKING LOT! Go down a trail that requires a truck with decent ground clearance before you dissapear from sight into the woods......THEN you can do your dougnuts.

I say go back and **** it up more!

geez, so much for treading lightly....i can honestly say the only time I've torn anything up was once or twice when I was drunk and on private land(with permission). it's b/c of immature sh*t like that, that more federal land isn't open to vehicles.

My good Friend Scott has a felony for doing what you are talking about. He went to the Junior high school in our hometown and Went and did a few donuts and tore up the sod. He left through the parking lot away from the grass, and a Cop saw him. He pulled him over casue there was no reason to be ther at 1 a.m. and discovered grass and mud stuck in his fenders. The cop put him in the back of the squad and drove him back to the fields and lit it up with a spotlight and saw the damage.

He did enough damage to the grass to make it Felony Criminal Damage to property. He had to pay a buttload in restitution and 90 Days Sentenced to serve (Instead of going to jail they let you work for the county every wednesday for 90 weeks) and 5 years of proabation with 120 days over his head. Now it has been 5 years and they knocked it down to a Gross misdemeaner meaning he can now actually find gainful employment.

Just wanted to use his mistakes to make some of you realize how serious this can be.

Now have I ever done something similar? The truthful answer is yes, but it really wasn't worth the risk, I got away with it and he didn't that is the only difference between me and him. I learned alot from watching him struggle with life.

~HJ

Yah, my buddy told me that its a 2000 fine and i basically wont do it again. I have a bunch of buddies who cut down some trees on fed prpoerty and were cahrged hundreds of dollars, its pretty stupid.

And Fernando, once again you're being stupid. By "i saw the headlights" i saw the path of light on the trees and knew a car was approaching so before i fully got in there i stopped and drove out.

I made a post, maybe you should ignore my posts. I dont really care if you get pulled over. Whoo for you.

i dont care either if i get pulled over thats why i dont come on here and cry about it. IF YOU SAW THEM THEN THEY PROBABLY SAW YOU. I BET IN A WEEK THAT SAME COP WILL TICKET YOU FOR SUMTHIN MUNDANE>

And driving drunk (even on private land) is mature?

Plus I was ****ing with Aaron so......................

Haha Roach, I know you were.

I rarely get in trouble with the cops and always get away with it. I used to think they were aholes but I realized as long as im relatively respectful they are very nice. This time he knew i was guilty, but he didnt see my so I didn't see why I should admit to anything.

Anyways I know the cop personally. He's my neighbors son. I'll treat him like any other cop though.


Thanks for the advice guys. I think I learned that it's dangerous on state/federal property.

Just if you've seen my town, there's literally nowhere to go but apparently one lil grass spot.

Aaron

i was caught offroading once ,my buddy and i were offroading in a park he had a s10 at the time and i had my dads superduty we tore it up and the cops saw us and i got a ticket for 50 dollars and he got one for 100 dollars because he tore up other parks in the area.all i have to say dont offroad in parks

Glad you know that you messed up and won't do it again. Lesson learned.

offroading is fun, but make sure you do it in your own property,and dont mess up others property,sucks getting the police on your case, their is this great place where i go offroading and i get permission me and my buddies go their and it is fun,also you dont have to look out for the police and try to ditch them :439: