It is important to not assume the upcoming Great Texas Warrant Roundup of 2016 will have no effect on you simply because you received your traffic citations many months ago. In fact, no matter how long it has been since you failed to pay your traffic citation or appear in court, there could be an outstanding warrant with your name on it. If you were supposed to appear in court, you could also be facing an additional charge of Failure to Appear. If you are aware of your warrant and your past tickets and are tired of them hanging over your head, now could be the time to take care of this matter.
The Upcoming 2016 Great Texas Warrant Roundup and How it Could Affect You
The 2016 Great Texas Warrant Roundup is an annual event which more than 300 jurisdictions take part in each year. Now in its tenth year, the state of Texas brings in more than $20 million in fines and fees each year during the Roundup, clearing a significant amount of warrants from the books. While no firm date has been announced for the 2016 Roundup, if it follows those in the past, the last two weeks in February will be set aside for amnesty for those with outstanding traffic warrants. During this time, those with traffic warrants are given the opportunity to go into a courthouse and pay their warrant fees as well as the original traffic citations.
During the first two weeks in March, the Roundup moves into the enforcement phase. If you have not taken care of your warrant and tickets by this time—or had an attorney do so on your behalf—you cannot expect the police officers in the Houston area to have any compassion for your plight. You could be arrested while at work, while you are at your home, or even while you are taking your children to school. Houston police officers are helped out by technology which allows them to aim a device at the license plate and find out immediately whether or not the registered owner has a warrant for his or her arrest. Houston typically arrests as many as 4,000 residents during the Roundup, so it is important that you not think it couldn’t happen to you.
How a Sullo & Sullo Attorney Can Help
If the very thought of being handcuffed and placed in the back seat of a police cruiser fills you with dread, it could be time to speak to an experienced Sullo & Sullo attorney. Our attorneys can post a bond on your behalf, immediately removing any threat of arrest. We can then look at your original traffic citations, and determine the best course of action. We may be able to have your ticket dismissed, petition to have you sentenced to traffic school rather than receiving points on your driving record, or negotiate for a deferred adjudication.
Many people wonder whether they could actually be arrested at the courthouse as they are attempting to pay their tickets. While it is pretty unlikely, it could happen, particularly if you were there on a different matter, with no intention of taking care of your warrant and traffic citations. All in all, it just makes more sense to allow a Sullo & Sullo Houston traffic bond attorney to post your bond, then help you deal with the tickets in a way that results in the fewest long-term repercussions possible. So, the answer to the question of whether you should be concerned about a warrant for a traffic violation, is a resounding “yes.”