AREAS WE SERVE
Cedar Point Criminal Defense Attorney
Defending clients in Cedar Point and across Carteret County
Cedar Point Has No Police Department
That is the first thing worth knowing, because it tells you who stopped you.
Cedar Point is a short stretch of Highway 24 between Cape Carteret and Swansboro, with a low speed limit and no town police force. Charges here come from the North Carolina Highway Patrol, which works the highway, and the town is served by the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office. Other statewide agencies have jurisdiction as they do everywhere in the county.
If you were stopped in Cedar Point, you were almost certainly stopped by a trooper or a deputy. That shapes the case from the beginning — different training, different procedures, and different paperwork than a town officer enforcing a local limit a mile up the road.
A Short Stretch of Road With a Low Limit
Nearly everything charged in Cedar Point happens on Highway 24, and for a simple reason: the town is a short run of that highway with a low speed limit, sitting between two other towns.
People pass through Cedar Point on their way somewhere else. They are driving between Cape Carteret and Swansboro, or heading further west toward Jacksonville and Camp Lejeune. Marines who have spent a day at the beach come back through here on the way home, and stops on that drive are common.
What that adds up to is a town where most of the people charged were not going anywhere in Cedar Point at all. They were driving through it, on a stretch of road where the limit is lower than the road behind them.
How We Approach a Cedar Point Case
A speeding charge on Highway 24. Your record and the alleged speed determine what is possible. Often the charge can be reduced to a non-moving violation such as improper equipment, so no speeding conviction goes on your record and your insurance is not affected. Over a few years that is usually worth considerably more than the fine.
A DWI passing through. The reason for the stop first, then the timing and the procedure. A stop made partway along a longer drive raises different questions than one made outside a bar, and what the evidence can establish about impairment at the time of driving is worth pressing on.
A prayer for judgment. Many charges can potentially be resolved with a prayer for judgment continued, or PJC, which can help protect a criminal record or a driving record. It does not apply to every charge or every situation, but it is one of the first things we consider.
In every case, you speak with me. Deanna, our paralegal and an NC State Bar Certified Paralegal, handles a great deal and can help with most things — but other than speeding tickets, every client talks to me before we take the case.
Your Case Will Be Heard in Beaufort
Cedar Point is at the western edge of Carteret County, and the courthouse is at the far eastern end. Charges here are heard in Beaufort — back along Highway 24 and through Morehead City.
Your court date will not be the day you were charged. In most cases it is a month or more out, unless it is a first appearance on a felony. For anyone coming from this end of the county, or from Jacksonville, it is a trip worth planning around.
The full court calendar is set out on our Carteret County criminal defense page.
Your Defense Starts With One Call
When your freedom, reputation, and future are on the line, facing the legal system alone is not an option. At Tetterton Law Firm PLLC, we are your partner in Cedar Point. Contact us today to schedule a confidential consultation.