If You Miss Court What Happens?
February 21, 2020 – Perhaps you have been living with constant apprehension because you are aware there is a Houston traffic warrant with your name on it. While it hardly seems possible that you could actually be arrested, simply for failing to pay a traffic citation or failing to appear in court in relation to a traffic citation, it is a very real possibility, particularly during the upcoming 2020 Great Texas Warrant Roundup. During most of the year, it is fairly unlikely a police officer will come to your place of employment or your home and arrest you for a traffic warrant. This is largely due to the fact that the Houston PD—as well as police agencies across the state—simply don’t have the resources to devote to clearing traffic warrants.
The Upcoming 2020 Great Texas Warrant Roundup – Not so, during the Texas Roundup, now entering its fourteenth year, when resources are specifically devoted to doing just that. While no firm dates have been set for the upcoming Roundup, in past years the last two weeks of February are devoted to amnesty—allowing those with outstanding warrants to come forward and take care of the warrant as well as the underlying tickets. During the second half of the Roundup, however, the focus is on enforcement. This generally occurs during the first couple of weeks in March, and during this time law enforcement agencies across the state will be actively seeking to arrest those who neglected to take care of their warrant and traffic citations during the amnesty period.
Using a device which can quickly scan license plates, Houston police will match registered owners of vehicles with outstanding Houston traffic warrants, then will make every effort to find those offenders and arrest them. If the thought of being arrested at work, in front of your boss and co-workers or at home with your family fills you with anxiety, it could be time to call a Sullo & Sullo Houston traffic bond attorney. Of course you could simply post a bond for your traffic warrant, then pay the underlying tickets, but there are a number of adverse consequences you will face for doing so.
The Adverse Consequences to Paying Your Old Traffic Tickets – Once you pay the tickets, you have a conviction for the offense or offenses. This will trigger points for each offense being added to your driving record. As few as six points could potentially result in the loss of your driver’s license for six months or more. Your insurance rates will likely increase, and, if your job is dependent on a CDL license, you could not only lose your license, but your livelihood as well. You will also now have a blot on your criminal record—even though most traffic offenses are Class C misdemeanors, they are still considered criminal offenses.
Positive Steps to Take for Your Houston Traffic Warrant – So, what is your alternative to paying those traffic tickets? It is actually fairly simple. You first contact an experienced Sullo & Sullo traffic warrant attorney, who will look at your situation thoroughly. Your attorney will post a bond on your behalf, immediately removing all threat of an embarrassing arrest. Next, the underlying traffic citations will be addressed. Depending on what your traffic citations were for, your Sullo & Sullo attorney may be able to have the citations dismissed entirely. If that is not possible, we may be able to negotiate for deferred adjudication. In Texas, deferred adjudication is a type of probation—for a traffic citation, the court is essentially saying if you don’t receive another traffic citation within a specific length of time, the current traffic citations will be dismissed.
Finally, your attorney could convince the judge to allow you to go to take a Driver’s Safety Course, thereby having the ticket or tickets dismissed. It is time for you to take decisive action, rather than writing a check because you are fearful of an arrest. If you received your ticket(s) in any of the following jurisdictions, a Houston traffic bond attorney from Sullo & Sullo can help you, whether during the 2020 Roundup or at any other time. In fact, getting a jump on the Roundup can ensure your warrant and tickets are taken care of before the police begin actively looking for offenders. Sullo & Sullo assists with traffic warrants at the following courts:
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
Pearland Municipal Court
Deer Park 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 3, Place 2
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 1
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
