While some people are well aware there is an outstanding arrest warrant for them, many more are not. When a traffic citation is received—generally for such offenses as driving at speeds above the posted speed limit or neglecting to exhibit proof of inspection—the person must either pay the ticket or appear in court to enter their plea. Should the ticket be lost in the busyness of life or the court date inadvertently missed that person could become part of the Roundup. These offenses are known as Class C misdemeanors, and, while relatively minor, can have far-reaching consequences. Regardless of whether you knew of the arrest warrant or not, you will likely be anxious and even frightened by your current situation.
Avoiding the Embarrassment of an Arrest
If you were slated to appear before a judge and plead your case and overlooked that date, a Failure to Appear charge could have been added to your list of problems. The notification phase of the Great Texas Warrant Roundup has passed, and the arrest phase will begin on March 2nd. While you could go to your local courthouse and pay the underlying tickets which caused the arrest warrant, people have been arrested while waiting in line to pay. Although this is not common, hiring a qualified attorney to pay that bond on your behalf completely removes the threat of arrest.
Alias vs. Capias Warrants
If you have an arrest warrant with your name on it, it is likely an alias warrant which is issued when a plea was not entered and the accused did not make an appearance in court as ordered. Failure to pay a traffic ticket will result in an alias warrant as well as a potential Failure to Appear charge. A capias warrant, on the other hand can result from a failure to appear following a misdemeanor conviction. Capias warrants may also be issued when a person refuses to testify as ordered or even as a means of recovering money. Capias warrants are meant to force a person to follow orders by the court.
Understanding the Great Texas Warrant Roundup
Sullo & Sullo attorneys have been helping those with outstanding warrants for many years now, although this is only the seventh year of the Great Texas Warrant Roundup. Houston officials believe this is a good opportunity to wipe all unpaid traffic tickets off the books, giving those who resolve their situation a clean slate. During the enforcement phase, law enforcement officials will seek out those with warrants regardless of where the offender may be. In other words, arrests can be made at home, school or work and the police officers will likely have little compassion when snapping on the handcuffs.
Can Sullo & Sullo Help You?
Those in the following jurisdictions: 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 may benefit from the legal experience of Sullo & Sullo attorneys during this time.