People v. Bogedain

Following a jury trial, defendant was convicted of possession of an open liquor container in a motor vehicle. MCL 436.34a; MSA 18.1005(1). Defendant claimed that his sentence should have been the $40 penalty which would have been imposed pursuant to a schedule of fines authorized by the district court if he had pled guilty. MCL 600.8391; MSA 27A.8391. Defendant relied on People v Courts, 401 Mich 57, 61-62; 257 NW2d 101 (1977), where our Supreme Court stated:

The establishment of a Traffic Violations Bureau and a scheduled fine system creates for the traffic court defendant a circumstance…