Lake Forest Park Municipal Court reduces fines, grants deferred findings and community service in Oct. 27 infraction calendar

Lake Forest Park Municipal Court conducted its Oct. 27 infraction calendar at 1:30 p.m., presided over by Judge Jennifer Grant. The session covered mitigation requests and contested/hearing scheduling for photo-enforced speeding, HOV and other moving-violation citations, interpreter needs, and administrative failures to appear.

“Mitigation is an admission that the event occurred and a request for consideration or to provide additional information to the court, to discuss the penalty,” Judge Jennifer Grant said at the start of the calendar as she explained the options available to defendants.

Front and center were multiple photo-enforced school walk-zone speeding matters. The court reduced first-time photo citations and smaller-speed violations to amounts between $50 and $90 in several cases: Kelly Winter’s citation was reduced from $145 to $75; Urlacher’s two 31-mph citations were reduced to $75 each; Juliet Kittleson and Eileen Eddie received reductions to $75 each; Crystal Lowe’s first-time, seven-mph-over citation was reduced to $50. Where defendants showed prior violations or repeated contacts with the same location, the judge noted the history when deciding reductions.

The court also addressed moving-violation cases and deferred findings. David Pardo was offered and accepted a deferred finding: a six-month continuance with a $175 administrative fee (payment-plan options noted), after which the charge will be dismissed if he maintains a clean driving record. A separate HOV-lane matter was similarly handled as eligible for a six-month deferred finding with the same fee and conditions.

One case involving license and insurance citations resulted in a conversion to community service. After an extended statement by Alicia Sandoval about fixed income and care needs for two children with special needs, Judge Grant reduced two fines to $250 each, converted the total to 30 hours of community service, and set a completion deadline of 90 days with a review Jan. 31. The judge instructed Sandoval to provide signed verification of volunteer hours from nonprofits; the court clerk will mail the community-service form.

Several multi-count dockets were handled together: Steven Strope had three walk-zone citations from July; the court reduced two to $75 and dismissed one, leaving a $150 total. Mariana Baji had two citations; the court imposed $100 on one case and dismissed the other. Defendants requesting interpreters had their hearings postponed until interpreters arrived; the court swore a registered Farsi interpreter and then proceeded to mitigate the related case with a reduction to $90.

The court also addressed administrative matters: several defendants failed to appear and the judge found failures to appear (FTAs) and entered defaults, imposing underlying penalties; one returned-mail matter (Drew Newhouse) was treated as having an unknown address and the court asked the clerk to resummons. The Salvation Army matter and other FTAs were defaulted after the court reviewed the photo-portal notices and mailing records.

Court staff were instructed to mail updated invoices and paperwork to the addresses on file (or PO boxes noted during hearings). The judge repeatedly emphasized that school walk zones and photo enforcement operate under statutes revised in 2024 and that photo-enforced “school walk zones” are distinct from the flashing-light school speed zones.

The court adjourned after completing the afternoon calendar and scheduling or closing the matters presented.