Lake Forest Park Municipal Court disposes infraction calendar; judge dismisses some tickets, reduces others and grants deferred findings

Lake Forest Park Municipal Court Judge Jennifer Grant presided over an infraction calendar by Zoom on Oct. 22, 2025, resolving more than 20 cases. The court dismissed at least two contested citations, reduced multiple photo‑enforcement and red‑light fines, and granted deferred findings in several matters; cases for defendants who failed to appear were found committed by default.

The decisions matter because they affect whether infractions will appear on drivers’ records and how Lake Forest Park enforces photo radar, school walk zones and transit‑only lane restrictions across adjacent jurisdictions. Several rulings involved driver confusion about signage and camera enforcement around school walk zones and the SR‑522/Lake Forest Park boundary.

Most substantive rulings were procedural or penalty resolutions rather than trials. Judge Grant repeatedly explained the options available to defendants: contest the citation, accept mitigation (an admission with a reduced penalty), or request a deferred finding, a six‑month administrative continuation governed by state law and available only once every seven years. On dispositive rulings the judge used the record and, in contested matters, testimony and submitted dash‑cam or photo evidence.

Key rulings and examples include:

- A photo‑enforcement speeding citation issued Aug. 14 at 11:20 a.m. was dismissed after Melissa Gladden testified she, not the registered owner, was driving. Judge Grant: "I will dismiss this violation."

- Jennifer Havlin, who said she was on hospice call and unfamiliar with the area, had a school‑walk‑zone photo citation reduced to $75, with the court noting it…