Evening star., 1935-01-17
TRAFFIC RELEASE
BY POLICE ARGUED
Lawyer Says Discretionary
Power to Free Drivers
Hurts Enforcement.

Whether policeman has the right
to decide if a traffic violator should
go free or If he must leave this ques-
ton to the courts was one of the prob
lens confronting Judge Isaac r. Hit
in Traffic Court today.
Attorney Edward O'Connell, in a
plea before Judge Hit for Jules Liv-
ingston Of Baltimore. charged with
second offe = speeding. declared
policemen do not have this right.
Both the defendant and his father,
Isaac, testified that Sergt. John E.
Fondall Traffic Bureau, arrested
young Livingston only after he told
the officer they were driving between
Is and 80 miles per hour instead Of
40. which Sergt. Fondall declared was
his pace speed. Prior to his arrest,
the defendant and his father declared.
Fondall intimated he would let them
go as he was off at the time on
dinner leave.
Discretionary Power Admitted.
The sergeant admitted on the stand
that at times he did use discretion as
to whether he would take some one
in" Livingston was required to put
up 500 bond, Fondall said, after it
was learned he had been arrested in
December on a similar charge. Lv-
ingston pleaded guilty when arraigned
last month on the first speeding count
and was fined $40.
IY,Ioo IIitf y,,odo M y1Y1irn ~, the
question, but fined Livingston S25, the
regular second-offense speeding levy.
Later he reduced the fine to $40.
Ffty-seven persons were scheduled
for arraignment in Traffic Court to-
day on &c charges. Five were locked
up for their appearance in court.
Twenty-Five charges were for speed
ing, 18 for parking. for passing red
lights and for reckless driving.
Yesterdays collections of fines and
forfeitures from traffic violators
totaled $l,186, or 1882 less than on
Tuesday.
Red-Light Trial Today.
McCrager Mills, 81, colored, Of
Mitchelsville, Md. was to be tried this
afternoon on charges Of passing red
light and having bad brakes. He
pleaded not guilty to the traffic light
charge and guilty to the charge OF
bad brakes. 1t was said at the cor
poration counsel's Office that after
Mills allegedly passed the red light at
West Virginia and Florida avenues
northeast yesterday he struck and in
iured an 0-vear-old child
Leo Wallace also was scheduled for
trial on a reckless driving charge.
William Landon, 1911 F street,
pleaded not guilty and demanded a
jury trial on a charge of driving while
drunk. Bond was set at $500.
A similar bond was fixed in the
case of William A. Parker, colored, of
Virginia, pending jury trial on the
same charge. Judge Hit gave John
w. Poston, 18, a $25 suspended SEN
tence for driving without a permit
and placed him on six months proba-
| ton.
Suspended sentences also were given
DR.. Worth B. Daniels. Carl F. Won
Klatt and F1orian j. Lechner on
speeding charges. Judge Hit also
took Won Klatt's personal bond on a
charge Of failing to give hand signal
when turning.
Personal Bonds Taken.
Because he had done some good
work in helping police locate stolen
automobiles, Judge Hit took personal
bond Of william F. Jackson, colored,
of "a M street southwest, on a speed
ing charge. Judge Hit also took per-
sonal bond Of Evelyn M. Wollard, l406
Girard street, on charges of driving
without q permit and speeding.
Bessie B. kaufman and Spencer
Pettus, colored, both Of Baltimore.
were fined SIS each for speeding.
Reavis C. Drummond was fined $25
for driving go miles per hour; Cyril
E. Albrecht and Buddie Meyer of
| New York were fined $40 for driving
so miles an hour, and john J. Caruso
was fined SIS for driving 48 miles an
hour. Luther F. Meyers Of Pennsyl-
vania forfeited SIS on q speeding
charge.