Results 1 to 5 of 5

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    2

    Question Fifteen year old bench warrant

    Hi,
    I'm from Canada, and when my parents were visiting California 15 years ago, my mother was pulled over for speeding. She was told to appear in court(in California) 2 weeks later, however they were on their way back to Canada the next day so she obviously didn't make it to her court appearance.

    Now they are looking at flying out from Seattle on a holiday. Is crossing the border and flying out from the States going to be a problem?

    How long does it take for the courts to 'forget' a warrant? or do they keep it forever?

    Also, is there anything she can do to get this dismissed? She's willing to pay the ticket, just not go to California in order to do it.

    Thanks in advance for any help.

    \Jess

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Fifteen year old bench warrant

    Was this a traffic misdemeanor ticket, or a civil infraction?

    Has she tried contacting the court in California where the warrant is pending, to see if she can pay a fine and resolve the warrant?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    2

    Default Re: Fifteen year old bench warrant

    It was a speeding ticket that she was issued, and the bench warrant is for a failing to appear.

    She tried contacting the courts the first time that she was sent the warrant, but they said that she had to appear(this was 15 years ago)

    Should she try contacting them again? Or is it too late and they'd just be angry she hasn't done anything about it lately?

    Thanks for the help.
    Jessa

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Fifteen year old bench warrant

    She can try contacting the court. She can also try working with a lawyer in the county where the warrant was issued.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Fifteen year old bench warrant

    Mr Knowitall is right.
    She was probably charged with an infraction: speeding VC2349 or 22350;
    when she failed to appear on the infraction, the court added a violation of
    VC 40508(a) - failure to appear, which is a misdemeanor.

    Call the court clerk. Hopefully she'll refer you to several attys on the 'Bar panel' (they practice regularly at that court). If the clerk can't refer, Mom
    should hire an atty located close to the courthouse. That's a quick court appearance and the atty may be able to both clear the problem and reduce the fines (who knows).

    If Mom is stopped for any reason, that old [B]bench warrant [/B (arrest warrant)]can be a big problem - it can cause them to be arrested and held for a few days until the county that issued the ticket advises that they won't come to pick her up.

    1. Sponsored Links
       

Similar Threads

  1. Arrest Warrants: 11 Year Old Bench Warrant
    By randy in forum Criminal Procedure
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-05-2010, 07:12 PM
  2. Arrest Warrants: California Bench Warrant for a 6 Year Old Fix It Ticket
    By Chaca in forum Criminal Procedure
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 03-25-2010, 01:27 AM
  3. Arrest Warrants: Canadian's 10 Year Old Bench Warrant in Kentucky
    By e-rupt in forum Criminal Procedure
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 11-22-2009, 11:19 AM
  4. Sex Offenses: Fifteen Year Old Dating and Having Sex with a 23 Year Old
    By Etpeterson07 in forum Criminal Charges
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 01-07-2009, 05:26 PM
  5. Theft and Larceny: Thirteen Year Old Bench Warrant
    By Mveronikas in forum Criminal Charges
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 09-26-2008, 05:00 AM
 
 
Sponsored Links

Legal Help, Information and Resources