RI District Court and Traffic Tribunal Case Law

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State of Rhode Island v. Frantz Louizia, C.A. No. T09-0054 Credibility

Defendant appealed the decision of the trial court sustaining the violation of R.I.G.L. 1956 § 31-14-2 (prima facie limits). The defendant introduced paperwork evidence from his GPS indicating that he was not speeding at the time he was stopped by the citing officer. The citing officer testified that the defendant was speeding according to his radar unit and also testified that the unit had been properly calibrated. The Court held that the trial court’s decision to credit the officer’s testimony over the defendant’s was within its discretion because only the finder of fact may assess the credibility of the witnesses. Accordingly, the Court sustained the violation against the defendant.

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