If you live in one of the following Texas jurisdictions then you may be able to take advantage of the help Sullo & Sullo, LLP offers to those who find they have an outstanding warrant for unpaid tickets. Those jurisdictions include: Houston Municipal Court, HCJP 1-1, HCJP 1-2, HCJP 3-1, HCJP 4-1, HCJP 4-2, HCJP 5-1, HCJP 5-2, HCJP 7-2, HCJP 8-1, HCJP 8-2, Jersey Village Municipal Court, Sugarland Municipal Court, Stafford Municipal Court, Missouri City Municipal Court, Pasadena Municipal Court, City of South Houston Municipal Court and Baytown Municipal Court.
The Roundup is Here
The 2013 Great Texas Warrant Roundup is currently underway; last year over 260 Texas jurisdictions took part with some forty more jurisdictions participating this year. The first phase of the Roundup consisted of notices being mailed to those who live in the Greater Houston area and began on February 18th. The second phase of the Roundup is set to begin on March 2, 2013. Although Houston officials are likely encouraging those whose name appears on an arrest warrant due to an unpaid traffic ticket to come forward and pay their fines, this course of action may not be in your best interests.
You Could Be the Target of an Arrest
Law enforcement personnel will begin aggressively targeting those who have unpaid tickets and outstanding warrants in a few short days. There will likely be little consideration or compassion on the part of police officers and court personnel as they determinedly seek those who have neglected to pay past traffic citations. Warrants can be served wherever you are; home, school or even work. There will likely be some people who have a suspicion their name could be on the list but who received no formal notice. Those people should definitely take that feeling to heart in order to avoid the potential embarrassment and inconvenience of an arrest.
Past Great Roundup Results
There are no formal results of the 2012 Roundup however well over 30,000 outstanding warrants in Houston and Harris County were cleared during the 2011 Roundup. Although thousands of people came forward to pay those outstanding tickets, there were at least 4,000 arrests made with the City of Houston bringing in well over two million dollars in fines. Similar numbers can be expected during the 2013 Warrant Roundup.
Avoiding an Arrest
In most cases, the outstanding arrest warrant is the result of a relatively minor ticket—probably a Class C misdemeanor—such as running a stop sign, driving above the posted speed limit, being unable to show proof of insurance or registration or other such infractions. These violations generally require that you either mail in your fine or appear before a local judge and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. Because the offense was likely so minimal, many people put the ticket away, intending to do something about it prior the thirty days they are given. The ticket is soon forgotten about in the busyness of everyday life.
Looking at Your Options
Should you find you have an outstanding warrant for failure to pay a traffic ticket, you can either walk into court with the intention of paying your fines and clearing your name off the warrant list, or you can resolve the situation in what could be a more positive manner by speaking with a Sullo & Sullo attorney. Our attorneys have substantial experience dealing with these types of arrest warrants and will work hard to prevent your traffic ticket from becoming a conviction—with all the adverse consequences that conviction would bring.