Visitors are flocking to see the petroglyphs at the China Lake Naval Weapons Station, but not everyone is happy to see these people arrive on base property.

No one is really sure how old the drawings and etchings are, but the rather haunting hand-drawn pictures of bighorn sheep, men, and other objects probably date back tens of thousands of years. No one is really sure why the Paleo-Indian artists drew the pictures either; some speculate that it was for religious reasons, storytelling reasons, or to mark boundaries.

The U.S. Navy severely restricts access to the site. Visitors must register months in advance, clear background checks, and only go on supervised tours. However, the Ridgecrest Petroglyph Festival is at the end of the year, and at least a few areas are more open to visitors during this event.

Federal Traffic Tickets

Between the China Lake NWS, the Mojave National Preserve, Edwards AFB, Death Valley National Park and a few other areas, almost the entire Mojave Desert is on federal property. Desert ecosystems are typically very fragile, and the park rangers have almost no tolerance for anyone who strays away from the group or off a designated trail. In other words, many rangers don’t particularly like visitors and they are not shy about writing traffic tickets to gently discourage people from overstepping their bounds as visitors.

There are a few other differences as well. Federal judges normally do not automatically dismiss mechanical citations (expired inspection sticker and so on) if they receive proof of compliance. Moreover, all these matters are handled at the federal courthouse in Bakersfield, where defendant appearance is often mandatory to avoid a point.

So, it is very important to have an attorney in any federal traffic ticket case, because a lawyer can both appear for you and fight for you.

Getting Legal Help

The aggressive attorneys at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-349-9300 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-349-9755.