Avoiding an Arrest in Texas by Posting a Bond

Suppose you are unpleasantly surprised to find there is a City of Houston warrant for your arrest as a result of an unpaid traffic ticket or a failure to appear in court as promised. Of course your primary goal is to avoid an embarrassing arrest which could take place wherever the police happen to find you. Whether you are at work in front of your co-workers and boss, at home having dinner with your family or even on your way to pick up your children from school, the police could arrest you—handcuffs, a ride in the police car, the whole humiliating experience. While you can be arrested for an outstanding warrant at any time, most Houston traffic warrant arrests occur during a traffic stop. While this may be marginally less embarrassing, it can cause you all sorts of inconveniences and expense.

When to Post a Bond?
If you’ve forgotten to pay a ticket or appear in court and you have determined there is a warrant for your arrest, your first line of defense should be to post a bond to immediately remove the threat of arrest. Our legal system provides a pretty great way to get out from under warrants and the risk of arrest without first paying the fines and suffering through the consequences which result. This is easily accomplished in the form posting a bond. You can post your bond in person, have a bondsman post the bond for you or have your chosen attorney post the bond on your behalf. Having your Houston attorney post your bond can be the least risky method since you could theoretically be arrested as you wait in line at the courthouse to post your own bond. While not likely, it is possible, and it’s a good idea to avoid that possibility by letting your attorney post the bond for you.

What Posting a Bond Accomplishes?
Once you post a bond you are no longer subject to the City of Houston warrant and potential arrest, as the bond immediately suspends the warrant. Even better, posting a bond does not convict you of the underlying traffic tickets as paying the ticket does. When you pay a traffic ticket in Texas you have effectively pled guilty to whatever offense you were charged with. This means a conviction will go onto your driving record, and since each conviction adds points to your record, you could find yourself dealing with the aftermath of paying those tickets for years to come.

You could end up paying exorbitant surcharges to the state of Texas for three years or more, could see your insurance rates rise dramatically, could jeopardize your driver’s license, especially a CDL license, and could even lose your job if it is dependent upon your having a clean driving record. Having your attorney post a bond on your behalf allows you to receive a new court date to appear before the judge and fight your old traffic tickets. While the City of Houston wants you to believe that your traffic ticket is a debt you owe, in fact that is not the case. A traffic ticket simply alleges that you committed a specific criminal violation—if you refuse to plead guilty, then the prosecution has the burden to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

How to Find Out if You Have an Arrest Warrant

Suppose you received a traffic ticket some time back and fully intended to pay it or go to court and plead your innocence. Then you got busy, time passed, and suddenly you wake up one morning with a sick feeling as you realize there could be a City of Houston warrant with your name on it. At this point you may be anxious and stressed, unable to stop thinking about the Houston police showing up at your place of work snapping handcuffs on you and leading you out past your co-workers and even your boss. At a bare minimum, an arrest warrant in Houston can be a very unpleasant surprise with far-reaching repercussions. This is one instance where it’s much better to find out where you stand and deal with it before it becomes a bigger problem. So—how do you discreetly find out whether there is a City of Houston warrant for your arrest, then deal with it in the most expeditious manner possible?

Determining Whether a Warrant Exists
You can, of course, simply go down to the courthouse, stand in line then ask straight out if there is a warrant with your name on it. While this might seem to be the most straightforward way of approaching the issue, this solution is not recommended. Theoretically, you could be arrested as you are taking out your checkbook to pay your fines. While not likely, it is a possibility. You could be allowed to pay your fines, effectively removing the threat of arrest. Unfortunately, by paying your fines you will now have a conviction on your driving record which brings further consequences.

You could ask any police officer to perform a warrant search but you will be subject to the same potential factors as you are when you go to the courthouse. You could go online and check one of the several online public records databases, which is much easier and eliminates the threat of arrest. Of course you could also choose to simply do nothing and hope for the best, but this choice leaves you constantly stressed about the possibility of an arrest. Remember—the police don’t care where they arrest you or how much embarrassment it causes you. It is much better to actually know where you stand rather than constantly worrying about it.

How Failing to Appear Can Turn You into a Fugitive

Most of us would never imagine the word fugitive could apply to us simply because we forgot about a traffic ticket. Unfortunately, this is not the case. A missed court date, even if it is for a minor traffic infraction, can land you in plenty of trouble. Should you neglect to appear for your court date, a Houston arrest warrant will be issued for you, meaning the police have the right to arrest you at any time or any place. While it’s true that the police generally don’t have the time or resources to run around a huge city banging on doors in an attempt to arrest every person who has neglected a traffic ticket, they do have that option.

In fact, for a failure to appear on a relatively minor matter, the police may not even bother to go to your home—but don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Suppose you are driving to work, or taking your child to school, and a police officer pulls you over because of a cracked taillight or some other minor infraction. Once he runs your license the Harris County arrest warrant will become evident and he will likely take you into custody. If there is no one with you your vehicle may be towed and impounded, or if you have children with you the situation can get even uglier. If you are unable to find someone to come and pick up your children they could possibly be taken by Children’s Protective Services until the matter is resolved.

Facing the Additional Charges
A Failure to Appear charge is considered a separate criminal offense from the original traffic offense which required your presence in court. If a City of Houston arrest warrant was issued for your failure to appear and you are aware of the warrant, hire an attorney immediately before you have made further mistakes. The attorney can post a Harris County traffic bond on your behalf, although you can also do this directly or go through a bail bondsman. If you take care of the warrant immediately, then you avoid being arrested while you are having dinner with your family or sitting at your desk at work. Once your Harris County bond has been posted, a new court date will be set—a court date that you absolutely must not miss. Some judges will be lenient on a first Failure to Appear, but they will not look so kindly on you when it happens a second time.

Posting a Bond in Order to Lift an Outstanding Warrant

Law enforcement and judicial officials issue daily warrants all across the nation for those who have failed to appear as required, and the city of Houston issues these warrants as well. The vast majority of Houston arrest warrants stem from failure to appear on a ticket issued for a traffic offense or possibly another minor Class C misdemeanors as many people believe these types of tickets to be relatively non-serious, putting them away and forgetting to pay the fine. Bear in mind that a Failure to Appear criminal charge is not the same as a Houston arrest warrant. A warrant is a mandate for your arrest—no matter where the police find you— while receiving a Failure to Appear adds an additional criminal charge to your problems.

A Solution to an Arrest Warrant
If you have been hit with a Harris County arrest warrant, don’t panic. Our legal system provides a method of avoiding an arrest without paying the fines and dealing with the hidden penalties not to mention the potential embarrassment of being arrested at your home or at work. This remedy is known as a bond; by posting a Houston traffic bond the warrant for your arrest is effectively suspended. This allows you to receive a new court date and the opportunity to fight your old traffic tickets.

Consequences of Simply Paying an Outstanding Houston Traffic Ticket
Remember that any time you write a check for a ticket you are effectively pleading guilty to the offense and are then considered convicted. Posting a bond in Houston allows you time to consult a knowledgeable attorney to discuss your options as well as the consequences you may suffer should you simply pay the ticket. By paying your ticket you become subject to a litany of repercussions including skyrocketing insurance rates and a strike on your driving record. In other words when you pay your moving violation ticket you for each moving violation you pay you will accept two points on your driving record; paying your accident violation ticket will add three points.

Could Houston’s Annual Warrant Roundup Affect You?

Every year the state of Texas holds a two-month long great warrant roundup and if you happen to be “asked” to participate in the roundup it is not nearly as much fun as it might sound. Those individuals who have neglected to pay a traffic ticket or other Class C misdemeanor ticket may find themselves actively pursued under a City of Houston arrest warrant. Just last March Houston began their annual warrant roundup clearing nearly 30,000 warrants, netting two and a half million dollars in outstanding fines and making over four thousand arrests.  These roundups are a significant source of revenue for Texas counties, however if your name is on the warrant list should you simply pay up? While the threat of being arrested at your home or place of work is frightening enough to cause you to immediately write out a check, in many cases it is much more advantageous to consult an experienced traffic attorney who can offer you some options.

Posting a Bond vs. Paying Your Tickets
If you know that you have an outstanding Houston arrest warrant you are probably in a better position than those who are unaware of the fact. Knowledge of the arrest warrant gives you time to avoid a potentially embarrassing situation such as being arrested in front of your boss and co-workers. Before the roundup officially kicks into gear, you have the option of posting a Harris county traffic bond which can give you some time to decide how you want to handle the situation. A Sugarland bond or Jersey Village bond can also be posted should you reside in those areas. Posting a bond is not difficult and can allow you and your attorney to decide whether you will ultimately pay your tickets and suffer the consequences or fight for a better end result such as deferred adjudication or a mandated defensive driving course. Simply paying your ticket can result in a variety of repercussions, none of them particularly good. You will accrue points on your driver’s license, be subject to higher insurance rates and in some cases your employment may even be affected.

High-Speed Chase Ends on Dallas Love Field Runway

DALLAS—An hour-long police chase late last month ended in the arrest of a suspect wanted in connection with several robberies in the Dallas area. Michael Lawrence Brown, 46, was taken into custody next to one of Love Field airport’s busiest runways after leading police on a high-speed chase through the city. 

Police said that a gray Chevy pickup, which had been stolen at knife point from the Sheraton Hotel in Fort Worth, was spotted at an apartment complex in the area of Preston Road and Belt Line Road in north Dallas around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 19. This started a chase that ran down the service roads of Central Expressway. 

After heading through neighborhoods and even traveling south into the downtown area, Brown turned the pickup truck northbound and wound up at Love Field. 

With no other way to go, he easily smashed through a security gate off of Aviation Place and found himself on the tarmac not far from nine Southwest passenger jets. But he didn’t stop there: Brown drove east over an active runway (31R) before turning and continuing up the taxiway. He crossed Runway 18 and was boxed in by four cruisers and an unmarked police truck, then was forced onto the grass north of Runway 18 in between the taxiway and Runway 13L. One officer used a pit maneuver to force the truck into a spin, and the chase was over. 

Why Should I Hire Sullo & Sullo Attorneys to Fight My Traffic Ticket?

Have You Recently Received a Traffic Ticket and Don’t Know What to Do?

If you have recently received a traffic ticket and you are trying to make a decision about who to hire to fight the charges against you, you have come to the right place. The Law Firm of Sullo & Sullo has provided some helpful information below to assist you in making an informed decision about your case:

You Have a Lot at Stake – Don’t Trust Just Anyone!

TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS IN TEXAS ARE A SERIOUS MATTER. IN ADDITION TO THE POTENTIAL ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY FINES, THESE VIOLATIONS CAN HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

Loss of Your Driver’s License

Traffic violations can result in the suspension and/or loss of your driver’s license. The Texas Department of Public Safety adds points to your license for most traffic violations. It only takes a small number of violations to result in enough points to cause the loss of your license.

Higher Insurance Rates

Traffic violations can significantly raise your insurance rates. Current insurance law allows companies to impose major increases in premiums for those individuals convicted of traffic violations, sometimes by as much as fifty percent (50%).

Loss of Employment

Commercially licensed drivers in the state of Texas are at risk for losing their employment if they receive a traffic citation. This is because employers of commercial drivers are subject to insurance rate increases based on their drivers’ records. Employers have an incentive to employ and retain drivers with driving records that are clean and to terminate and remove drivers driving records that are not.

 

Anatomy Of A Traffic Case In Texas

The vast majority of Texans have, at some point in their lives, received a ticket for a traffic violation.  Unlike most other violations of the law, a traffic ticket doesn’t bear the same stigma of criminality and is often viewed as a minor offense that even the most law-abiding citizens may be guilty of on a frequent basis.  However, don’t let the prevalence and the commonality of a traffic ticket fool you.  Trying to resolve a traffic ticket in Texas is at best an annoyance, and at worst, a convoluted maze of red tape that can have you banging your head against the wall in no time.  From the moment you see the red lights flashing in your rearview mirror and hear the dreaded siren, you enter the confounding world of Texas traffic law.

While not considered a serious offense by most people, many Texans don’t realize that a traffic violation is still a criminal offense in the state of Texas.  The list of possible traffic violations that you can be guilty of in Texas seems endless: speeding, speeding in a construction zone, speeding in a school zone, running a red light, failing to signal, failing to yield to right of way, loud muffler, expired registration/inspection, driving without a valid driver’s license etc. (maybe here we can add a link that people can click on to see the sheer variety of cases that they could be charged with).  The list goes on and on.  Each type of case has varying degrees of repercussions and different methods of resolution.  For example, a speeding or moving violation may result in a fine, put negative points on your driving record, or raise your insurance rates.  Other, more straightforward violations such as expired registration can be dismissed with a ten dollar dismissal fee if you update your registration within ten days

Considering how varied the steps can be to resolve each type of case, it is not surprising that many people find dealing with a traffic ticket a very stressful process.  That is where Sullo & Sullo can step in to relieve that stress and confusion.  We are a law firm that specializes in traffic ticket defense and you can have peace of mind knowing that only the most experienced and thorough attorneys who are skilled in traffic law are managing your cases.  While it would be impossible to discuss all the nuances of traffic procedure and traffic law, we would like to provide a general overview of the anatomy of a typical traffic case.  This step-by-step guide to how traffic cases work in Texas is a service provided to you by Sullo & Sullo to help demystify the process for all our clients.

At the scene of the alleged violation

Let’s begin with the cardinal rule of traffic stops.  When you see the flashing red lights behind you, make sure that you pull over quickly.  As you roll down the window full of anger at the realization that this police officer is going to make you late to your very important meeting, just roll down that window and bite your tongue.  The biggest mistake that people often make when they are pulled over is talking too much.  Listen to what the officer has to say, nod your head, and be pleasant.  No matter how much you are tempted to do it, the golden rule is: DO NOT ARGUE WITH THE POLICE OFFICER     Read more......