Another wrinkle in this fall's long and twisted saga of Bethel's ATV enforcement came in the mail to those caught in the city's initial crack-down on ATV drivers using the state highway. It came in the form of a letter offering to remove the charge in exchange for a donation to the city's Volunteer Emergency Services.
The proposed donation is a lot less than the potential fine.
In the letter, City Attorney Patty Burley says that if the ticketed drivers donate $25 by December 5 to the Bethel Volunteer Emergency Services Association, the new ambulance fund for the local fire department, the city will dismiss the case. The charge won’t show on the person's record unless they are convicted. Burley writes that the very unique circumstances at the time of the citation led to this deal.
A clerk at the Bethel courthouse says the minimum fine for this type of citation under existing statutes is $50 with a $10 surcharge. The court clerk could not confirm how much the actual fines were but did confirm there were city and state laws allowing for such a deal. They also could not confirm how many citations were given out.
The charges came early last month after the city council directed the Bethel Police Department to enforce an existing state law that barred off-road vehicles from state highways. The charges stopped after a public outcry and questions were raised about the legality of those citations. No other information was given pending the resolution of those cases.