NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — A traffic case that stretched nearly two years ended in only a partial resolution Wednesday at Harbor Justice Center after the accused pleaded guilty to one of three infractions, while contesting the others because he could not afford the court’s proposed financial settlement.
At an arraignment hearing on Wednesday, April 16, in Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, the accused pleaded guilty to one of three traffic charges after nearly two years of hearings.
District Attorney Ward Tanner represented the people, while the public defender represented the accused. After pleading guilty to exceeding the maximum speed of 65 mph, the two other charges will proceed to trial, driven in part by his inability to afford the court’s proposed financial resolution.
Mr. Beets, the accused, was cited on April 29, 2024, facing three separate traffic infractions: driving while using a cell phone, failing to stop at a stop sign, and exceeding the maximum speed of 65 mph under California Vehicle Code section 22349(a). After 13 hearings spanning September 2024, December 2024, March 2026 and April 2026, the court, under Judge Gregg L. Prickett, reached a partial resolution Wednesday.
During the proceedings, after hearing the compensatory resolution proposed by the judge — $50 for the speeding ticket and $25 for the other two traffic violations — the accused petitioned for traffic school as a means of resolving his citations. This option, commonly used to allow drivers to dismiss or reduce traffic infractions, was denied to Beets.
The plea arrangement would total $125, plus any additional fees calculated by the collections office, which often exceed 20% of the base fees. However, the accused could only receive this option if he pleaded guilty to all charges.
The accused reportedly lacked the financial means to pay, leaving him with two options: pay money he did not currently have or take the remaining charges to trial. Unable to resolve all three charges financially, he pleaded guilty only to the speeding ticket and accepted the $50 fine.
The arraignment was then scheduled for a pretrial hearing in early June, as the cell phone use charge and the failure to stop at a stop sign charge will now proceed to trial. According to the court proceedings, no mention of a payment plan or community service alternative appears to have been offered by the court.
The remaining two counts are set to remain in future court proceedings, with no probation or bail imposed.
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