Warrant Round Up If You Have Warrants.... Get Them Taken Care Of! by Julie Alston, Municipal Judge - City of Huntington and City of Zavalla “GO TO JAIL, DIRECTLY TO JAIL…”
Well, it’s that time of year…waiting for the Super Bowl and maybe a tax refund. Christmas is long past, and Valentine’s Day is just ahead. But the REALLY important dates for some of you to remember NOW is that:
IT’S WARRANT ROUND UP TIME!
Yep, if you have unpaid tickets or fines in Municipal Court, the State of Texas is sponsoring a “Round Up” of all outstanding arrests warrants. All across the State, and all across Angelina County, courts and law enforcement officers are working together to arrest people who have not paid or have ignored their traffic tickets. The cities of Huntington and Zavalla are participating in the Round Up again this year. Beginning March 9th, a warrant sweep will be conducted.
But, you have one more chance to prevent yourself from being arrested. If you, or someone you know, has unpaid tickets, the policy in Huntington and Zavalla is that you will not be arrested at the Municipal Courts if you appear to take care of your tickets during the month of February. During this month of “love”, an Amnesty Forgiveness Program is available. You will be able to speak with the Court Clerks or with me as the Municipal Judge in both cities. There are options available such as payment plans. But you WILL be arrested if you are stopped by law enforcement or identified as someone with an active warrant in any other public place.
Recently, a 70 year-old man in Minnesota decided to rob a convenience store, saying he wanted to be arrested. He said, “Going to jail is better than living with my wife.” If you feel like this man, come turn yourself in. But if life with your wife is better than that, just appear in Court before someone cuffs you. A woman in Florida was arrested after police found a stolen car with her dentures in the trunk, and a man in Tennessee swiped his debit card at the bank before committing robbery. Both of these people made being arrested very easy for police. But it can be easier for you if you just contact the Courts where you have pending warrants.
I don’t particularly enjoy signing a warrant or meeting people at the jail to set their bond. I would rather be home or fishing or eating chocolate. But even traffic violations have consequences. I want people to take traffic tickets seriously so that they will think twice before speeding or running a red light again.
Unpaid tickets also prevent some people from renewing their driver’s licenses, which makes driving without a license another thing to be cited for. The Municipal Court has cases where some people owe thousands of dollars in unpaid tickets. And every time a warrant is issued or someone is arrested, the costs just increase.
DON’T DO THE TIME! JUST PAY YOUR FINE!
I urge you to please take care of any unfinished business you have with the Huntington or Zavalla Municipal Courts immediately. I have listed the phone numbers and addresses for each court below. I am also listing the email addresses for me and the court clerks. Huntington Municipal Court: 802 U.S. Hwy. 69 S, P. O. Box 349, Huntington, Texas 75949 Phone: (936) 422-4195 Court Clerk: Dana Howell email: dhowell@cityofhuntington.org Judge: Julie Alston email: jalston@cityofhuntington.org Zavalla Municipal Court: 838 E. Main Street, Zavalla, Texas 75980 Phone: (936) 897-3311 Court Clerk: Aimee Cloutier email: acloutier@cityofzavalla.com Judge: Julie Alston email: jalston@cityofzavalla.com