Judge McMahon reduces fines, sets payment plans and dismisses one case at Lake Forest Park mitigation calendar

Judge Pro Tem Abby McMahon presided over the Lake Forest Park Municipal Court mitigation and contested infraction calendar on Jan. 15, 2025, and issued rulings on a series of photo-enforcement and speeding citations.

The hearing produced a mix of outcomes: the judge reduced several fines (most commonly to $75), granted payment schedules in many matters, allowed deferred findings in qualifying speeding cases, and dismissed one citation after a sworn statement that the cited person had not been the driver.

Why it matters: The court’s rulings affect how photo-enforcement citations are resolved locally and show how mitigation calendars are used to balance enforcement with ability to pay, record consequences and first-time deferral eligibility.

Key outcomes

- Todd Bonine (case 240252347), charged with a photo-enforced speed infraction in a school zone on Nov. 14, 2024, told the court he was driving 33 mph on a Sunday and asked for leniency. McMahon reduced the fine to $75 and allowed one month to pay. Bonine said, “It seems like a pretty severe fine for 8 miles over the speed limit on a Sunday when school is not in session.”

- Hong In Kai (case 240270174), who faced a red-light photo enforcement ticket from Nov. 27, 2024, admitted poor judgment and asked for a reduction. The judge reduced the fine to $75 and gave one month to pay; Kai agreed to pay in one installment.

- Tracy Hoffman (case 240278474): After Tracy Hoffman, who said her husband Jeffrey Hoffman was hospitalized, swore a statement that Jeffrey was not driving, the judge dismissed the citation. McMahon told Hoffman the dismissal would be on the record and no mail notice would be sent.

- Donald Brewer (case 240271685) described stopping at a four-way stop and later seeing camera flashes. The judge reduced Brewer’s fine to $75 and gave him one month to pay.

- Teresa Vu (case 240260878) asked for reduction for a Nov. 19, 2024 photo-enforcement speed ticket she said occurred when school was not in session. The judge reduced the fine to $85 and allowed one month to pay.

- Jennifer Rayer (case 240264722) said she was braking downhill and briefly exceeded the school-zone speed. McMahon reduced the fine to $75 with one month to pay.

- Angela King (case identifier transcribed as 4 a 087 2 086) sought a deferred finding after being cited for driving 60 in a 40. The court explained deferred-finding conditions (the one-time deferral option, payment amount and driving-record requirements), found she qualified and entered a deferred finding with the $175 fee and payment terms explained by the clerk.

- Sean Ryan (case 4 a 0909220) elected a deferred finding and opted to pay the $175 in full; the clerk confirmed Ryan’s address for mailing paperwork and the judge said no additional conditions beyond the standard deferred-finding requirements apply.

- Magda Ibrahim (case 240270554) received a reduction to $25 for a Nov. 27, 2024 photo-enforced school-walk-zone ticket. The court noted the reduction is not a moving infraction for insurance purposes; Ibrahim said she could pay within the month.

- Hermael (case 240230228) contested a Nov. 4, 2024 school-zone photo ticket and argued there was no blinking light or children present. The judge reviewed video, found the sign was blinking, found the infraction committed, reduced the fine to $75 and allowed a three-month payment plan (roughly $25 per month).

- A no-show mitigation for a person identified as Patel (case 240265554) was found committed by default; the judge reduced the fine to $75 with one month to pay.

- Rachel Merritt (case 240262114): Court records showed the citation had been dismissed on Dec. 23, 2024 after a declaration of nonresponsibility was filed; the judge confirmed no further action was required.

Court procedure and recurring points

McMahon and the clerk repeatedly explained two enforcement layers used in Lake Forest Park: a narrower 20-mph school zone that is active when lights blink and a broader school-walk-zone that can be enforced even when lights are not flashing. The court reviewed camera video in at least one contested matter (the Nov. 4 case) before finding an infraction committed.

The clerk (Lois) told defendants that mailed paperwork would include instructions for payment or deferred-finding enrollment. On multiple reductions the judge gave one month to pay or specified payment-plan terms (three months in at least one case). The clerk also clarified deferred-finding mechanics: $175 fee, eligibility review of driving history and a six-month no-moving-violations requirement to keep the deferral.

Quotes

"Mitigation means you're admitting to the infraction, but making an ask to, generally reduce the fine," Judge Pro Tem Abby McMahon said as she opened the calendar. "If you do violate the 6 months, then you pay for this ticket, you lose the 1.75."

"It seems like a pretty severe fine for 8 miles over the speed limit on a Sunday when school is not in session," said Todd Bonine while asking for a reduction in his case.

Next steps

The court will mail payment and deferral paperwork to the listed addresses. Defendants given deferred findings must comply with the no-violation and payment conditions explained in court or risk losing the deferral and owing the full amount.