Speed Camera Ticket For A Car That’s Not Mine

I received a ticket in the mail from a speed camera located in a town over an hour away. The vehicle in the picture is not the same make, model, or color as any vehicle I own, and the license plate is illegible (though it appears that the first three digits match a plate I have). To make matters worse, I was with my son getting a photo with Santa at the time the ticket was issued.

I reached out to the court and the municipality where the ticket originated, but all they did was issue me a court date for a preliminary hearing. Now, I’ll need to arrange childcare and drive over an hour to attend this court date. From my understanding, this will be the first of at least two court dates required to defend myself.

Does anyone have input on how to defend myself or possibly recoup my costs?