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I did a quick search with no results. Im trying to find out the end result of the tickets/fines that were handed out @ BD last year for getting popped at a near by S. Anyone care to share?

I got a good laugh at a few people who were complaining about being busted around NOON.

I made a clean getaway, but my girlfriend, who was at the bottom just watching, got popped. $269 fine.

Guy I know disputed it, drove back to WV to court, got ruled against and paid his fine. $269 fine.

There were several people who got a different magistrate and got a lesser fine of somewhere around $160.

And yea Jason, it turned into a real circus down there. We were just getting ready to bug out because of that when the cops got on the PA from the parking lot.

What was the charge? and how was the fuz notified?

I (in my infinate wisdom) drove from Michigan to West Vagina to fight said ticket which my attorney said is a criminal misdemeanor. The whole ten hour ride down there I told myself I was going to lie to those bastards and tell them I wasn't anywhere near that bridge (because when they arrived I really wasn't) but my concious and paronoia got the better of me and I told the stupid truth and took my licks. $179.00 . I was told by the arresting officer that he was dispatched there because of a complaint from the (help me out here Speedphreak) waste water treatment plant? I call BS. The officer told me he wrote 24 tickets that day. $$$$$$$. In my defense I was alway's told the locals were more tolerant during BD. I will get mine but it will be ninja style next time. Live and learn.

The charge was trespassing(I'll have to dig up the actual ticket to find the actual ordinance "violated").

I don't know how the police were notified(other than it was a free-for-all clusterfuck at the site). I have heard rumors that a notice was made to the employees of the adjacent water treatment plant to notify law enforcement if BASE activity was observed at the bridge. But, who knows.

There was a similar clusterfuck at a local "A" that got shut down but no fines were awarded. Again, it was just rumor, but it was said that the police chief told officers to visit known sites and shut them down if activity was present.

Personally, I blame the base jumpers (myself included) for treating it as a Disney ride and not adhering to proper base ethics on site access.

Thanks.

I had heard rumor that the land owner didnt care if people were back there. I wonder if the trespassing charge was for the state property or the private land? (doesnt the land owner have to press the trespassing charge?) There are no signs posted about trespassing on the state land or the private. (hope this doesnt shoot us in the foot). I regularly see homeless, fisherman, hunters, hikers. kayakers, and kids back there. As for jumping at noon.....I guess you have proven that a concrete and steel bridge cant be burnt!

Im disappointed in myself to say I dont know the laws or the repercussions for that area. Thanks for the info.

http://www.fra.dot.gov/...fact_sheet_FINAL.pdf

Dunno if it had anything to do with the tracks or not but I have had friends get busted for tresspassing on tracks before in Eastern KY.

Too true and too often that's the case. No respect, and then wow what a shock we got busted and how unfair it is; completely remedial.

the charge was for trespassing on state property, i.e. the bridge. it is considered trespassing to be on or around (as in underneath) any state highway bridge.

personally, being the hot headed, cop disliking individual, i told the magistrate to go fuck himself as i snatched my ticket back from him and crumpled it up in his face after he refused to lower my fine and demanded a $500 bond just to come back and fight it in court.

to date, no inbred WV cops have come looking for me.

Ok here is an attempt to clear all of this up:

First Blitz, i would be very careful this year at bridge day, you probably have a warrant issued for your arrest in west virginia, maybe even surround states if fayette county wants to extradite.

Second nate, This is, to the best of my knowledge the deal with that S,

First the crime that was cited was trespassing on state property, with that state property being the underside of the bridge. While it is not posted it kind of like stores dont need to have a sign posting that it is illegal to steal.

Second, any lawyer worth his salt should have been able to beat this ticket with his eyes closed: the line of questioning to the officer should have been as follows:
Officer so-and-so: Please tell me what led you to write my client a citation for trespassing on state property: (cop would answer i observed cars parked near a state owned bridge, i called on my PA for anyone around to come out and I cited everyone who came out) Did you or did you not see Johnny Basejumper on or underneath the bridge? (Cop would be lying to answer anything but NO) Was the gate leading back to ***** creek open or closed? (again would have to answer yes) In your opinion would a reasonable citizen have any reason to believe it was illegal to go hiking across this bridge and down the established foot path? (cop would probably say No he should know it is it trespassing). Then So you never saw my client on the bridge, there were no signs indicating that it was trespassing to go hiking there, and you still felt the need to issue him a citation? Your honor i move for dismissal because there the states witness didnt in fact witness any crime....

Third: There is a water treatment (more of a straight pipe but oh well) facility their and the reason the cops came was someone (i dont know who) jumped as a supervisor's van was driving down that road. Those guys know what is up and were not born yesterday. the vast majority of them dont care, but the supervisors and what not will call the cops. besides anyone dumb enough to walk out into the open arm of a cop deserves a ticket, those guys are lazy bastards. they didnt even care enough to walk back the 1/4 mile to the bridge to actually catch people in the act. The smart ones went into the woods and hid.

PM me if you want more specifics

well, maybe i'm not that smart... but considering i had no gear and did nothing wrong, my only fear was the cops proclaiming that they were going to tow my truck which was lawfully parked.

so they can write all the fucking warrants out they want, but if and when they pull me over, i hope for them that their stamina is high.

that is a terrible idea..... Now instead of just a fine, you will have jail time and felony charges.


Anyways... I did not mean to personally insult you Blitz, I merely meant that there should not have been 20 tickets for for the 7 cars parked out there.

haha, no worries... i'm a law abiding citizen.

in reality, i'm just totally not worried about it.

Great info!
That about clears it up. Not trying to come down on Blitz, but..... If I were to get popped, I would roll over like a little bitch and quietly pay the fine. I would try to avoid making the charges worse for the future. My pride and dignity were taken a long time ago. If you would like to see them, ask my Fiance. She put them were I will never see them again.

Thanks again to everyone for the 411

Believe him people.

I've seen him lay on his side and expose his genitals to someone while in the middle of an argument over a burrito.

We all felt very uncomfortable.

My concern was that what if on the off chance one of the thirty people prancing around under that bridge was a photographer working for the fuzz. I know it sound rediculous but by the time I drove down there from Michigan I had been awake for over twenty four hours and the last thing I wanted to happen was to lie to the court and have them wave a 8x10 glossy of me sinking my Mo-Jo in with a smile on my face from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. They would have locked my ass up and I would still be farting blood. I am the paranoid one.
I will bet they wrote more tickets in one hour last year than they have total since BD started. Those greedy mother fuckers took advantage of us for financial gain. Plain and simple. Nice way for them to tell us they don't appreciate us coming from all over the world to spend our hard earned money to put on a show for what used to be at least " The largest single day spectator event in the country". I hope they at least take a few of the $6,240.00 they collected in fines that day to put up a sign that say's "anyone and we mean everyone jumper or not caught between this parking lot and that bridge will be cited for a criminal misdemeanor".
Now I am pissed again and will have to masturbate to settle down.

I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused ... let me get this straight.... those "greedy pigs" forced you to drive down from where ever you live, head out to that bridge, and break the law? just so they could dip their sticky fingers into your pockets....?

Now I applaud you for being honest in court, but still why do base jumpers always blame the police when they get busted. From NPS Rangers to local police, anytime one of you dumb mofo's get busted it is the same story: "man they just want to take our money, those fucking pigs have no life, or whatever self justification you need"

Grow the fuck up and take some responsibility for your actions instead of blaming everyone else. Waaaahhhh i got caught breaking the law, why do cops pick on me? Have you never made a bandit jump before in your life? How many of you would go and dayblaze your local object and be in shock and awe when you get caught? But god damn it is those fucking pigs who have nothing better to do then arrest me. You want to jump illegally, than you better know and accept the risks that come with it. It is just like the jump itself, it is a risk versus reward. Grow up and stop blaming cops because you get caught.

PS sky4me that isnt all directed at you, more of the community in general