The Houston Warrant Roundup is nearly upon us; while the official kickoff date has yet to be announced, the Roundup generally begins during the last week of February, continuing for several weeks. We at the law firm of Sullo & Sullo hope this year’s Houston Warrant Roundup will have absolutely no impact on your life, however if you happen to be one of the thousands of those in the Greater Houston area who unfortunately will have a warrant with your name on it, we are here to help. Most importantly if you have an arrest warrant due to unpaid traffic tickets or a failure to appear for a traffic violation don’t simply wait and hope for the best.
Typically, the Roundup begins with a grace period of a couple of weeks during which law enforcement will attempt to contact those with outstanding warrants via mail, phone and notices left on doors. Following this notification period, the arrest phase will begin. During this phase police officers will begin aggressively tracking down those with arrest warrants. This means you could actually be arrested at work, at your home or even at your child’s school. The best way to avoid such a potentially embarrassing arrest is to retain an experienced traffic ticket attorney who can post a bond on your behalf, quashing the warrant and leaving you with more favorable options.
The Potential Repercussions from an Unpaid Traffic Ticket - Perhaps you received a minor traffic ticket some time ago which you could either pay—and suffer the resulting negative consequences—or appear before a judge and enter a plea. You may have let that court date come and go and forgotten all about the ticket. After all, it was likely something as minor as speeding, running a stop sign or stop light, or having no proof of insurance or registration. You probably never even considered that you could actually end up with an arrest warrant for this failure to appear. The vast majority of the warrants issued in the City of Houston and in Harris County are for traffic violations classified as Class C misdemeanors.
You could end up with both an arrest warrant as well as new Failure to Appear charges against you; therefore enlisting the help of one of our experienced attorneys is definitely worth consideration. The courts we can help with 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.
Why Not Simply Pay My Outstanding Ticket? Those who are aware of the outstanding ticket and resulting warrant could theoretically go down to the courthouse and pay the ticket. The warrant would be removed and the issue would be closed—maybe. Although it is not particularly common for law enforcement personnel to arrest those who are trying to pay outstanding tickets, it has been known to happen. Further, when you pay that ticket or tickets you have, in effect, admitted guilt and will end up with a conviction on your record, added points on your license and the potential of losing your license. Your insurance premiums will almost certainly increase and, in some instances, you could suffer negative employment consequences as well. If you are a driver with a CDL license, tickets which go on your driving record can significantly affect your livelihood.
A Better Resolution - Contacting an experienced Houston Warrant Roundup Lawyer at Sullo & Sullo could lead to a much more positive resolution to your unpaid tickets, warrant and failure to appear. Our attorneys have dealt with the negative fallout from these issues for many years. We can post a bond on your behalf, removing the threat of arrest and can work aggressively to resolve your overall situation in a way that has the least amount of long-term consequences. Don’t wait until you are embarrassed by a police officer knocking on your door while you’re relaxing with your family or coming into your place of employment with an arrest warrant in hand. A Sullo & Sullo Houston Warrant Roundup Lawyer may be able to negotiate a plea bargain with the court in order to prevent your traffic ticket from becoming a blot on your permanent record—a much better resolution than paying your ticket and hoping for the best. The 2016 Houston Warrant Roundup is almost here—call today to speak to a knowledgeable traffic ticket attorney who can assess your specific situation and discuss your options.