Anchorage woman disputes traffic citation for failing to stop, claiming officer could not see her stop

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - An Anchorage woman is taking a traffic citation to court after being ticketed for failure to obey a stop sign, something she claims is untrue.

On Jan. 13, Vernita McCurry was cited for failure to obey a stop sign by Anchorage police at the intersection of Lore Road and Petersburg Street, but McCurry claims she came to a complete stop.

After being pulled over and speaking with the officer, McCurry recalls that the officer suggested that she was supposed to stop twice in snowy conditions, and later admitted that his field of view didn’t allow him to see whether or not she stopped. Regardless, McCurry was cited by the officer.

“I was appalled at the whole thing, and right now it’s caused me to have to do research into the why’s of it,” McCurry said.

McCurry filed for discovery to retrieve dashcam footage from the officer’s patrol vehicle. In the video, the officer can be seen and heard telling McCurry that, due to the weather, she needed to stop twice at the same sign, closer to the intersection so that she had a clear view. The video also shows the officer saying that he was unable to see her first stop. Her citation was then issued for failure to stop.

Anchorage municipal code states that, when approaching a stop sign at an intersection, a driver shall:

• Stop at a clearly marked stop line; or
• If none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection; or,
• If none, then at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of the approaching traffic on the intersection roadway before entering the intersection.

The Anchorage Police Department confirmed the citation was written and said that that person has the right to dispute a ticket. If this matter is not resolved sooner, McCurry’s court date is set for the first week of May.

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