Yes if they have probable cause of a traffic violation they can stop you anywhere.

yes and yes. Contrary to urban legends, nothing is gained by being by convicted 5 years after a violation date.

It is on your record. it is "inactive" in the sense that if you did not get any other tickets 18 months before and after the date of the violation...

"asking a judge for leniency" is never a good approach. If handled properly this ticket can be dismissed.

the explanation you send with the not guilty plea will not help and only possibly hurt.

Yes it will work since you took it after date of violation. Don't worry about how many attorneys tell you otherwise. I am 100% correct.

I would try to lift them ASAP. If you have through customs it will be a problem.

police officer may insist that was the car driven. just because you own another car doesn't mean you were not driving that car. There are ways of...

sometime before the return date listed on the ticket.

There are ways of getting these tickets dismissed entirely. Contact a good traffic ticket lawyer.