Reminds me of the ticket I got on I-95 going back to DC from Florida after Christmas. The state trooper said I had a taillight out. I said I just noticed that at my last gas stop but hadn't been able to get a replacement and would do so the next day when an auto parts store was open. I still got a ticket for "defective equipment" ($50-75 IIRC). Of course he knew I wasn't going to drive back down to Richmond to contest the ticket after looking at a DL with a Fairfax address. Being military didn't help any either; I guess it was too far past Desert Storm and 9/11 hadn't happened yet.