2015 Great Houston
Warrant Roundup
Houston Ticket
Lawyer Advises You NOT to Pay Those Old Tickets and Post a Bond Instead!
The Great Houston Warrant Roundup is returning in
March 2015. Each year in March, during the Great Warrant Roundup, the City of
Houston and about seventy other jurisdictions in the Houston area begin arresting people who have outstanding traffic warrants.
Should I fear the Houston Warrant
Roundup?
You should only worry about the Houston Warrant
Roundup if you have an outstanding warrant in City of Houston Municipal Court or some other jurisdiction.
The City of Houston
will do its best to scare you into paying your old ticket. Don't do it. The City of Houston is only interested
in getting your money.
You should
not fear the Houston Warrant Roundup. There are things you can do to avoid being
arrested. See below. One thing you
should not do is pay the underlying tickets. If you do, you will be convicted
and the conviction may go on your driving record. The conviction can result in you receiving points, surcharges, license suspensions,
etc.
How did I end up with a warrant?
You probably received a ticket for a Class C misdemeanor
such as speeding, running a stop sign, expired inspection sticker, expired registration sticker, running a red light, etc. The officer had you sign the traffic ticket.
When you signed the traffic ticket, you promised to appear in court for an arraignment on a particular day and at a
particular time. If you failed to go to court on the right day or the right time,
the judge probably issued a warrant for your arrest.
Or, you went to your arraignment
on the right day and time and asked for a trial. The court reset you for a judge
or a jury trial and you signed a Notice of Trail in which you promised to appear in court on a certain day at a certain time
for trial. If you did not go on the right day at the right time, the Judge probably issued a warrant for your arrest.
What is a warrant?
A warrant is a Judge’s order to a peace officer,
usually a Policeman, Constable or Sherriff’s Deputy, to arrest someone. A
warrant for your arrest authorizes the policeman to arrest you wherever he or she may find you. Typically, people get arrested
on their next traffic stop. But during the
Great Houston Warrant Roundup, the police will do things like come to your home or work to arrest you.
Don’t Pay
that Ticket! Post a Bond Instead!
Avoid the many
hidden penalties that result from paying a ticket and receiving a conviction.
What happens when I post a bond?
When you post a bond,
your warrant is suspended and your traffic ticket is placed back on a judge or jury trial docket where you can require the
State to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. You can also plea bargain
with the State to do things to try and keep the traffic tickets from becoming convictions.
How
hard is it to post a bond?
Not very hard at all.
You can do it yourself by posting a cash bond. Or you can hire an attorney bondsman or a bonding company to post a surety
bond on your behalf.
If you have questions
about the Great Houston Warrant Roundup or how to post a bond, give my helpful legal assistant, Marisa,
a call at 713-880-4529.
