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Roanoke court will no longer handle traffic tickets

Traffic violations in Huntington County will now be filed exclusively through the Huntington Superior Court and no longer through the Roanoke town court, Huntington County Prosecutor Amy Richison has determined.

Richison says she made the decision for two reasons. The first reason is to bring Huntington County into compliance with an Indiana Supreme Court ruling covering assignment of cases to specific courts.

The second reason concerns the fact that the Huntington Superior Court and Roanoke town court issue different fines for the same traffic violations. Because of this, a motorist who was stopped by a police officer who files the violation through the Roanoke town court ends up paying a higher fine than a motorist who was stopped for the same violation by an officer who files the violation through the Huntington Superior Court.

"I look at that and say, ‘That's not fair,'" says Richison.

Also, Richison says she noted instances where traffic violations that occurred in the southern part of the county, outside of the Roanoke area, were filed through the Roanoke town court instead of the Huntington Superior Court.

The decision will likely result in the closure of the Roanoke town court, which relies on the revenue from fines assessed during traffic violations to stay in operation.