After what I learned in this course, I filed a motion to dismiss a traffic case based on the fact that they got my address wrong when they sent their notice to appear in court. I eventually got their notice, I guess forwarded around or whatever, but by then I had less than 10 days to respond. Anyway, I filed a motion to dismiss, and when I went to the pre-trial, the judge called me up and said the case was dismissed.
YAYYYY
So I thanked him, we exchanged a few goodbye pleasantries, and I was about to be on my way when I turned around and went back to ask for that decision in writing.
He hemmed and hawwed, leaned over to the clerk, they mumbled and fumbled, he called the prosecutor back over and asked if she was okay with the dismissal and "everything".
I objected because it was already dismissed. They all ignored me. The prosecutor started stammering and rambling about all kinds of irrelevant things... the clerk said something was odd about my paperwork... suddenly a bailiff and some other officer took me and my family out of the courtroom down the hall into some dark back corner and then separated us... made my family sit in the hallway, wouldn't let any witnesses in the little room where they forced me to sign against my will some paperwork of theirs I'd never seen before and was given no opportunity to even read; they were in a big hurry and I had to sign it quick. All I could make out was that it was something dated over 3 months ago, notarized by someone who says I swore it out in his/her presence.
I didn't want to falsify their unknown paperwork but they said they'd immediately haul me off to jail if I didn't. All I could think of was my family's safety.
After I signed their documents, I asked for a copy and they wouldn't give me a copy. They took me back into the courtroom and everybody pretended like nothing happened. So twilight zone! Then the judge said he was going to reset my case and I would have another pre-trial in a month.
Is this truly as bizarre as it seems to me?