Hank Spackman's appeal turned on when a misdemeanor traffic prosecution begins for limitations purposes: when the officer issues the uniform traffic citation or when the citation is filed in court. The Court of Appeals of Georgia held that filing, not issuance, commences the prosecution, expressly overruled contrary precedent, and concluded that the later accusation came too late because the UTCs were never filed. The denial of Spackman's plea in bar was therefore reversed.