California Bench Warrant for a 6 Year Old Fix It Ticket
My question involves an arrest warrant from the State of California
Hello and thank you for taking the time to read this. A few days ago I was approached by an officer for sleeping in my car. He assumed I was driving intoxicated so he ran my License to discover that I had a warrant out for my arrest. Apparently I received this ticket in the city the officer stopped me in and thats why it popped up on his computer.
I was told it was for a fix-it ticket that I never appeared for back in 2004. He told me I will have to go to the courts and pay 500 dollars.
I do not remember getting a fix-it ticket for the life of me. Also since 2004 I have purchased a new car had multiple cars registered and been pulled over for other offenses (like an illegal left turn or broken taillight) and it have never come up before.
I called my insurance and he said there is no warrant or anything that he can see. So if you would be so kind I have a couple of questions.
Is there anyway to lower the fee? I clearly missed the date and it is not because of emergency or anything like that. The car in question was donated to charity by my parents and I do not think they have the donation info anymore.
How long would a warrant like this stay in effect? Does it come under some sort of grandfather clause or will it stay in effect until I am dead?
I have no problem going to pay the fine I just want to be prepared when I go to the courthouse in a couple of days and hopefully save myself a few hundred dollars.
Thank you for your time and I really appreciate any help you can give.
Re: California Bench Warrant for a 6 Year Old Fix It Ticket
Once the warrant is issued, it remains active until it is returned served, unless a court for some reason would withdraw it.
You can tell your story to the judge and maybe get a break on the fine, but I doubt you will get much sympathy. If the warrant came back to your license, then you were driving the car and it was your responsibility to clear the ticket.
Be prepared to pay the fine. You might be able to get 60 days to pay it, assuming money is a problem.
Re: California Bench Warrant for a 6 Year Old Fix It Ticket
Quote:
Is there anyway to lower the fee?
Doubtful, but there's certainly no harm in asking. Fix it tickets are typically pretty small and expected to be taken care of quickly to avoid the larger fine. Six years is...not so quick.
Quote:
How long would a warrant like this stay in effect?
It stays in effect until you take care of it voluntarily, you're arrested, or you die, whichever comes first.
Re: California Bench Warrant for a 6 Year Old Fix It Ticket
That is disappointing but it can not be avoided. Thank you very much for your timely response.