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Central Albertan wins fight to have photo-radar tickets dropped

Red Deer County resident Jim Seward is still seeking reasons.
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A retired Central Alberta cop got his two photo radar tickets withdrawn in Red Deer Traffic Court on Tuesday.

But he didn’t get the answers he was seeking.

Red Deer County resident Jim Seward received notice last week that the two photo radar tickets he was planning to fight on grounds they were sent out too late were going to be withdrawn.

He’s glad Crown prosecutor Ann MacDonald accepted arguments he had presented in a letter, but was disappointed that she did not provide reasons for the withdrawal.

Seward’s high-profile battle garnered a lot of media attention, as well as Facebook comments. And a few people suggested he would get special treatment as a former RCMP officer with Innisfail Freeway Patrol. In light of this, Seward wanted to publicize the reason his fines were withdrawn to show there was no favouritism.

He argued the tickets should have been dropped because too much time elapsed between when he committed the traffic infractions and when he was served. The fines were related to driving offenses committed in Red Deer on June 8 and June 15. But Seward did not receive the photo radar tickets in the mail until Aug. 15.

Seward said this is well outside the 21-day provincial guideline.

In the interim, he took the old vehicle he had been driving to the junkyard. This meant he couldn’t check its speedometer, which he believes might have been out-of-whack, as can happen with older vehicles.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” said Seward, who plans to write another letter to the Crown asking for reasons for the withdrawal. He’s also seeking reassurance that his photo radar fines won’t be reinstated if new evidence turns up within six months, as provincial regulations allow.

lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com