Legal Question in Traffic Law in Washington

will i get plea of guilty for DWLS 3rd while i didn't know that my license had suspended?

i got pull over last two week ago for speeding over 30. Then the officer also found out that i was driving with suspended driver license. Now that the judge say that i may have to go to jail for a year with 5000$ fine; but in fact, i didn't know my driver license was suspended until that day. That suspended was due to failing to pay for another speeding ticket 7 months ago. But when i got the very first speeding one, i was sending the ticket mail to the Kent court house to ask for a court date for to get ticket deferral. Since then I never received any mails back from them or any notices. I was going back and forth between the address on my license and my current apartment mail box to check for the mail from the Kent court house 3 times a week for a month. There was nothing, so I thought I already got a deferral. I wish I was received just a mail from the Kent court house, so now I don�t have to be charge for criminal.


Asked on 11/04/09, 1:53 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
James J. White, attorney Law Offices of Smith & White, PLLC

The obligation of the state (DOL) is to send you notice of suspension by regular first class mail to the last address you have registered with them. There is no requirement that you actually know you are suspended. If they mailed this to you, and the prosecutor should have proof of this, then you cannot use lack of notice as a defense.

At your service,

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Answered on 11/16/09, 1:24 pm


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