Back in college I had my bike lights stolen down on campus then had to ride home after dark to a more suburban corner of town. I stayed on the bike path 90% of the way home while possible, for my own safety and legality, then stuck to the sidewalks (advised against, but legal outside of my city's downtown, and exempted from the light requirements due to not technically operating on a roadway) but I hopped off a curb on an otherwise empty residential street, just around the corner from my house, and was pulled over immediately by an officer that must have been tailing me a ways back.
They accused me of breaking into cars in the neighborhood, which only irritated me more, and I wouldn't allow them to search my bag on principle--I know my rights, and refuse to further empower officers to coerce citizens into consenting to a search. They weren't too happy about this, and still convinced I was a petty criminal, decided to throw the book at me for riding without lights, even after I explained the circumstances. I guess if I hadn't hopped that curb, some 100 yards from my destination, they would have had no grounds to pull me over.
I forget how much the ticket was, but enough to sting for a broke student.