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.

I’ve Been Arrested on a Traffic Warrant—What Should I Do?

Although many of us are under the impression that neglecting to show up for a simple traffic ticket hearing is really no big deal, should you find yourself being taken into custody under a City of Houston arrest warrant you may be shocked to realize how serious it really is. Perhaps you were busy and simply forgot about your court appearance, or maybe you really thought it was not crucial that you appear. If you suddenly find yourself being arrested—in a critical situation with no prior warning—you are likely stunned and scared, wondering what to do next. Many times these Houston arrest warrants are carried out at your home or place of work, causing embarrassment and humiliation. In some cases you may be stopped for something simple like a broken tail light and find yourself being loaded into a police car once the officer runs your license and sees the outstanding warrant. However it occurred, it would be very wise to contact an experienced attorney who can assist you with your legal crisis.

After the Arrest
As if it weren’t bad enough being arrested, possibly in front of family members or co-workers, you still have hurdles to get past. You will be obligated to post a Harris county bond or bail bond in order to ensure you don’t linger in a jail cell. As soon as the bond is posted it will be necessary for you to appear in front of a judge and offer a reasonable explanation as to why you missed your first court date. Although you have every reason to be upset, it is never wise to put forth an angry attitude toward the judge, rather you should be respectful and polite. Don’t forget that it is within the judge’s power to let you go with a dent in your checkbook and a slap on the wrist or to send you to jail. Since jail is not where you want to be, it can be extremely important to speak with a Houston attorney who can explain your current options to you and help you decide what you need to do.

What to Do When Your Bond Has Been Revoked

Suppose you neglected to either mail in the fine or appear in court after receiving a traffic citation. Soon you’ve forgotten about the entire thing as your busy life takes over only to find yourself rudely jolted back to earth when you learn there is a Houston County arrest warrant issued for you. At this point you can decide to head down to the Courthouse, hoping you get a kind judge who will believe your story as to why you missed your court date. If you are very lucky, the judge will simply re-set your court date. Notice I said if you are very lucky, so please do not assume this is the norm. More likely the judge will require you to post a bond to ensure you show up for your next court date. A Harris County traffic bond is also applicable if you did not realize there was an arrest warrant and were actually arrested or if you knew about the warrant and had either a bail bondsman or your attorney post a bond on your behalf.

When Your Bond is Revoked
Posting a Harris County traffic bond allows you to continue with your normal life, work and family until it is time for your next court appearance. The bond is presumed to be incentive for you to remember to show up for court since you lose your bond money if you don’t appear. Should you miss that second court date, not only will you likely be in serious legal trouble, you may also have your Harris County traffic bond revoked. If you didn’t hire an attorney the first time you missed your court date, it is absolutely time to do so now. The judge in your case is not going to take a second skipped court date lightly, and handling the situation on your own is not advisable.

If you choose not to seek legal help then in addition to bearing the cost of having your bond revoked, yet another Houston County arrest warrant will be issued, and this time the police may actively seek you out in order to execute the warrant. Bear in mind that the police officers who are sent out to find you and arrest you could care less where that arrest takes place. You could be arrested while out with your family, while at work, while taking your children to school or even at a school function. The officers will arrest you where they can find you regardless of the embarrassment it may cause you. In the end you could be facing your original traffic charges, two Failure to Appear charges and a revoked bond meaning you will be stuck in jail.

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......

ANATOMY OF A TRAFFIC CASE IN TEXAS

Home | Criminal Defense | Traffic Tickets | Legal Articles

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.

We cannot emphasize that enough. There are two very important reasons why saying too much to the officer is not a good idea. The obvious one is that you don’t want to anger an officer who has your ticket in his hands. He can make the process of receiving a ticket very unpleasant for you. The second reason, and the one that many people don’t realize, is that the more you say and do, the more likely it is that the officer will remember you. The moment he pulls you over, the officer is making a mental note of your attitude and if you begin to argue, you can be sure that he is writing everything you say down on his copy of your ticket. The ones that the officers usually don’t remember are the ones that are pleasant and don’t say much. This is one of those rare situations in life where you want to be completely boring and forgettable.

Once the officer hands you your ticket and drives off, don’t crumple your ticket and stuff it in your glove compartment or deep into your pockets. Although you may be seething at the audacity of the officer to pull you over when you clearly didn’t violate any traffic law, don’t let your anger cloud your judgment. That piece of paper is a legal document and happens to have on it a very important date. If you read your ticket closely, you will discover that you have just signed a promise to appear at your arraignment date.