This is for a story I'm writing. What would be the penalty for someone who purposely swerves wildly through traffic and then drives from the road right into a government-owned park and eventually hits a tree. He tears up the grass pretty well, too. I imagine he'd go to jail. What would be a good price for a fine and how easily would they let him go?

At a minimum, there will be a charge of reckless driving, and in Georgia an assessment of 4 points and a high probability of a license suspension. The fine would probably be around $300 (you may want to check in your locale). There may be a further charge of aggressive driving, for another 6 license points.

I suspect there would also be several non-traffic misdemeanor charges, vandalism and destruction of public property among them. My guess is that bail for these would be set at about $1,000 (you could pay about $100 - $150 for bail if you don't have the cash). Unless the individual has a history of other charges, s/he could probably get off with about 24 hours of community service and some basic court costs that vary from county to county.

If the judge's granddaughter uses that park you may as well throw away the key.

Hope this helps.

Yeah, that was a great help. I may have to leave off the court stuff for the sake of the story because he needs to pay his bail and then leave town right after. I hope that wouldn't be so drastic as to ruin it though. Thanks, Fuse.

So, your character is going to Jump Bail?

Sorry jusork, you can't leave off the court stuff.

Actually I might be able to reference it without showing it, assuming it'll take a few days. He also might not have to leave town, he just has to be a relatively short distance away. And I'll end the story before he goes any further so the reader can think he might go to court along the way. Oh that might make for a really good line actually. Hmm