Warrant for Failure to Appear?
Once again it is time for the Great Texas Warrant Roundup, held every year across the state with over 260 jurisdictions joining in the effort to settle outstanding warrants—primarily those issued as a result of unpaid traffic tickets. While officials in the greater Houston area encourage those with outstanding warrants to come forward—theoretically with no repercussions—to pay their outstanding fines and get rid of their arrest warrants, it could be in your best interests to consult a knowledgeable attorney prior to walking into a court in your area. While no official date has yet been announced, the Houston Warrant Roundup typically begins the last week of February and lasts for several weeks. The first “phase” of the Roundup consists of notices being mailed out to those Houstonians who currently have an arrest warrant with their name on it.
In some cases notices may be left on doors and phone calls made as well. Due to a variety of factors, however, not every person with an active arrest warrant will receive such notice. The second phase of the Roundup will see law enforcement personnel targeting those on the list and serving those warrants. Keep in mind that there will be little sympathy on the part of police and court personnel and these warrants could be served while you are at work, at home with your family or at school with your children. Those who receive no notice but have a suspicion their name could be on the list should definitely not ignore that feeling; following the “grace” period of the Roundup those on the list will be targeted quite aggressively.
Prior Texas Warrant Roundups
Warrant Roundups in earlier years have cleared over 30,000 outstanding warrants in Houston and Harris County. The majority of these warrants were for traffic violations in which the recipient neglected to make their mandated court appearance. While thousands of people did come forward to pay those outstanding fines and make things “right,” there were over 4,000 arrests made during the 2011 Warrant Roundup. The City of Houston brought in over $2 million in fines during the 2011 Roundup
Don’t Be One of the Thousands Who End Up in Handcuffs
You definitely want to avoid the humiliation of having handcuffs snapped on and receiving a ride in the back of a police cruiser downtown. Perhaps you received a minor ticket—classified as a Class C misdemeanor—which could be something like speeding, running a stop sign or red light, having an expired registration or no proof of insurance or any other relatively minor infraction. While such violations are generally punishable by a fine, your ticket may have required an appearance date where you were to appear before a judge and enter a plea.
The alternative would have been to simply mail in the fine—resulting in points on your driver’s license, state and local surcharges and a potential increase in insurance premiums. Perhaps you meant to appear in court then your life got busy and you simply forgot. If this is the case, with the 2016 Warrant Roundup fast approaching this is not the time to bury your head in the sand and hope for the best. Our highly experienced Sullo & Sullo attorneys will work aggressively on your behalf in order to assist you in avoiding any unwanted complications such as an embarrassing arrest.
If Your Name is on the Warrant List, What are Your Options?
If you have a warrant—or think you might have a warrant—from the following courts, we can help: 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. Rather than simply throwing yourself on the mercy of the City of Houston and Harris County in the hopes of walking away with only a slimmer wallet, consider that the law firm of Sullo & Sullo has extensive experience in resolving these warrants.
Our Houston Warrant Roundup Lawyers can post a bond on your behalf, immediately suspending your arrest warrant. Your original traffic ticket will then be placed back before a judge. We may also be able to negotiate a plea bargain with city law officials which can keep your traffic ticket from becoming a conviction with all the negative repercussions which come along. In other words, don’t simply pay your ticket or tickets and hope for the best. The Houston Warrant Roundup is almost upon us—contact the experienced Houston Warrant Roundup Lawyers of Sullo & Sullo and put your mind at ease.
