[Trogdor]

Last time I was actually in court for a ticket (about 11 years ago) I made it very clear to the assistant attorney (I think) for Winona that I had every intention of costing them as much money as I could in order to get their $160 from me.

If you contest the charge, it gets very expensive for the county to prosecute someone for a $200 fine. Remind them of that, and ask them for a "no same or similar." Meaning no other traffic violations in a year and the charge is dropped.

Remember, most traffic violations are easy revenue for the county. Most people just pay them, or go to court and are given reduced fines on the spot. They don't expect you to fight them. Nor do they want you to.