If you are like most people, you likely have no idea there are actually alternatives to paying old traffic tickets. Perhaps you received a traffic citation and fully intended to pay the ticket or appear in court. Instead, life intervened and you promptly forgot about the ticket. The next thing you knew, a warrant had been issued for your arrest. The thought of having handcuffs snapped on and being escorted to a police cruiser with flashing lights is a horrifying prospect for most all of us. The thought of such an arrest prompts many to rush down to the courthouse and pay the ticket or tickets. While this might seem like the right thing to do, in reality this action can have many unintended consequences.
Your Traffic Tickets are Misdemeanor Crimes
It may seem crazy that such a relatively minor offense could result in an arrest warrant. While the police are generally too busy to spend much time looking for those with a warrant for a traffic citation, the upcoming 2016 Great Texas Warrant Roundup could change that. Now in its tenth year, the second half of February is usually reserved for the amnesty phase of the Roundup, in which those with warrants are encouraged to come in and pay up. There is a definite financial incentive for the more than 300 agencies who participate in the Roundup. These agencies routinely bring in as much as $20 million in fines and fees during the Roundup. The city of Houston typically brings in as much as $1 million to $2.5 million during the Roundup, arresting between 3,000 and 5,000 people with traffic warrants.
If you decide to simply pay the bond and tickets, you could find yourself unpleasantly surprised in a number of ways. First, the amount you will be charged may be much more than you expect. You could be obligated to pay a yearly surcharge to the state of Texas which could be anywhere from $100 to $1,000, lasting three years or more. If you can afford the fines and fees, you will then find you have garnered a specific number of points on your driving record. You could receive from 2-4 points on your record for each offense, and accruing only six points can, in some cases, result in the loss of your driver’s license. Further, you now have a blot on your criminal record as well.
Will You Receive Notification of Your Warrant?
You may think that because you have not received notification of a warrant that you must not have one. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you neglected to pay your traffic tickets, or failed to show up in court as promised, it is a pretty sure bet there is a warrant with your name on it. Many of the agencies will attempt to mail out notices of outstanding warrants prior to the Roundup, but not all of them will do so, particularly smaller agencies with limited resources. Further, if you have moved since you received your initial traffic citation(s), the court may not have your updated address. If you have the belief that you may have a warrant for your arrest, it could be advantageous to speak to a Sullo & Sullo attorney who can find out that information for you.
What are Your Alternatives?
A possible solution to your warrant problem may be to speak to a knowledgeable Sullo & Sullo attorney as soon as possible, even prior to the upcoming Roundup. Your Sullo & Sullo attorney may be able to negotiate a deferred adjudication on your behalf, convince the court to allow you to go to traffic school in lieu of receiving points on your license, or potentially have the tickets dismissed altogether. Sullo & Sullo will look at your specific situation and determine how to best proceed after posting a bond on your behalf to remove all threat of an arrest.
Sullo & Sullo attorneys handle tickets in any of the following jurisdictions:
· Houston Municipal Court
· Jersey Village Municipal Court
· Sugarland Municipal Court
· Stafford Municipal Court
· Missouri City Municipal Court
· Pasadena Municipal Court
· City of South Houston Municipal Court
· Baytown Municipal Court
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Place 1
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Place 2
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3, Place 1
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4, Place 1
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4, Place 2
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, Place 1
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, Place 2
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7, Place 2
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 8, Place 1
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 8, Place 2