Exit 111 Festival Citations

What You need to know about the Exit 111 Festival

1.     Law Enforcement is Ready:  A festival of this size requires a sizeable presence from law enforcement.  Law enforcement will be amassed from local police, the sheriffs’ office, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.  Expect a mix of backgrounds and capabilities, from sophisticated drug interdiction units, to ordinary patrol officers.[pullquote]Call us at 615-829-8259 for a no cost assessment of your situation.[/pullquote]

2.     This is not their First Rodeo:   The Exit 111 Festival is held on the same grounds as the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, which convenes at the same location every June for the past 18 years.  Law enforcement has had 18 years to develop tactics to conduct searches and initiate prosecutions, most of which are done by issuing citations – no matter how much or what schedule drugs are found.

3.     I Had a Lot of Drugs, but I Only Received a Citation:  Citations are issued because it saves time by keeping officers on the festival grounds, instead of transporting individuals to the jail for booking.  This is a numbers game for law enforcement:  Conduct as many searches as possible and issue as many citations as possible.

4.     A Citation Does Not Prevent a Prosecutor from Proceeding on a Felony:  Every citation that is issued will be reviewed by a prosecutor prior to the initial court date.  Most citations offer little information other than the type and the amount of drugs that were seized.  While a sizeable amount will get the prosecutor’s attention, he must still prove that the drugs were possessed with the intent to sell or deliver in order to obtain a felony conviction.  Our attorneys meet with the prosecutor prior to court to highlight the factors that would lead a jury to believe that the drugs were for personal use (simple possession that is a misdemeanor), or that the search was illegal from the beginning and warrants a dismissal.

5.     Do I have to Come to Court?: Everyone that is issued a citation must come to court, or a failure to appear warrant will be issued for their arrest.  It is not required that you get booked on the citation before court – only that you appear at court on the date listed on the citation.

6.     I Can’t Have This on My Record and I Can’t Keep Coming to Court:  Most people have these concerns, and there is a good chance that we can accomplish both goals in your case – to keep this off your record, and limit the court appearance to only one time.