If you receive a Houston traffic ticket in the state of Texas, you will be given what is known as an “appearance date.” This is the date by which you must pay your ticket or appear before a judge to plead your case. In some jurisdictions, the date of your appearance will automatically be set on the twenty-first day following the date you received your citation. Other jurisdictions may give thirty days or another period of time. The exact number of days you have in which to enter an appearance or pay your fine will be stated on your traffic citation. You are required to sign your citation, which is not the same thing as pleading guilty, rather is only a promise to appear in court.
When a City of Houston Warrant is Issued
If you fail to take any action at all, you could find a Houston Traffic Arrest Warrant has been issued. Once that warrant is issued, you could, conceivably, be arrested anywhere in the state of Texas. You could be at work, at home, at school, or any number of other places. Further, in addition to the underlying traffic citation and the warrant for your arrest, you could additionally have criminal charges of failure to appear. This charge can be filed without your knowledge, in your absence, in response for failing to take care of your traffic ticket. The type of warrant issued for traffic citations is known as an alias warrant.
Don’t Assume You Have No Choice Other Than Paying Your Fines
Hearing all of these things, you may feel the full weight of the legal system is weighing heavily on you and that you have no choice but to pay your fines and move on. During the upcoming 2015 Great Houston, Texas Warrant Roundup, agencies reinforce the fear and confusion felt by many, by offering a two-week period of amnesty, strongly encouraging all those with outstanding warrants to come in and pay up. What you are not told is that once you pay your fines, you will have a conviction on your record and points will be added to your driving record. Obviously law enforcement agencies have a serious financial stake in convincing you to pay your fines and fees—the city of Houston routinely collects more than $2.5 million during the Houston warrant roundup. Other jurisdictions also collect in the millions of dollars.
Posting a Houston Traffic Bond
Unfortunately, once you pay your tickets, there is little a Houston Warrant Roundup attorney can do to help you out. Before you pay those fines, consider speaking to a Sullo & Sullo Houston traffic ticket lawyer to discuss your alternatives. Once you have an experienced Houston warrant roundup lawyer on your side, a bond can be posted on your behalf, your warrant can be lifted, and your Sullo & Sullo attorney can help you navigate the system for a more favorable outcome. The advantages to posting a bond is that the warrant is immediately lifted, and that you now have the right to fight your original charges, keeping it from affecting your driving record.
Your case will return to the court’s docket, and you will have a strong advocate representing you in court with all the weight of our resources helping you fight your case. It is important to remember that not all warrants can be lifted with a bond. If you missed a court date or failed to pay your ticket, then this is likely a bondable offense. If, however, you made an agreement with the court to pay your fine in installments or take a defensive driving course and you failed to follow through, then you may have a capias warrant against you which is generally not bondable. It is important to speak to a Houston traffic warrant lawyer as soon as possible—the Sullo & Sullo attorneys are standing by to help during the 2015 Great Houston, Texas Warrant Roundup as well as throughout the year. If you received your ticket through any of the following jurisdictions, give Sullo & Sullo Houston Warrant Roundup Lawyer a call today.
· 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, Judge Gorczynski
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Place 2, Judge Patronella
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3, Place 1, Judge Parrott
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4, Place 1, Judge Adams
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4, Place 2, Judge Lawrence
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, Place 1, Judge Ridgway
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, Place 2, Judge Williams
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7, Place 2, Judge Burney
· Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 8, Place 1, Judge Williamson
- Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 8, Place 2, Judge Ditta