Overdue Ticket: What to do?

**Daywalker** · 04-04-2007, 06:09 PM

I received a failure to yield ticket last month in Idaho Falls while driving around the country for spring break. By the time I got back to St. Louis it had migrated to the back of my mind. Now, looking at it, I was supposed to have taken care of it by March 26th. Pretty major oops on my part. Has anyone dealt with this before? Is it worth it to think up some sort of excuse? Most importantly, is the FBI going to be knocking down my door any minute now to collect the $62 that I originally owed?

**summit** · 04-04-2007, 06:26 PM

No but you probably have to show up at the court date now and if you miss that you'll get a bench warrant

**4matic** · 04-04-2007, 06:41 PM

It's probably payable by credit card and you're not that late. Call the court. The number is on the ticket.

**P_McPoser** · 04-04-2007, 06:41 PM

i'll let you know, since i'm about 60 days past due on a NV speeding ticket that I did the same thing to.

**lionelhutz** · 04-04-2007, 06:48 PM

Two options
1.Mail the ticket in with the original fine. Act like nothing is the matter. Chances it will ever come up? very small.
2. Find out the late fine. Add to regular fine. Mail in ticket and check (fine + late fee) and walk away.

**deliberate** · 04-05-2007, 12:50 AM

3. Don't pay it. Try to take a vacation later in life and get stopped at the border and arrested.
4. Don't pay it. Avoid society. Live in a secluded cabin in the woods for the rest of your life.

I would pick 4 if I were you. It is too late to salvage this.

**TNKen** · 04-05-2007, 06:04 AM

In many states, if you don't get it taken care of, they will suspend your driver's license for the unpaid fine. Call the clerk's office and see what the protocol might be. You're not the first one to do this. Hopefully, the judge did not issue a capias for your arrest for failure to appear.

Ken

**BigAirSkier1580** · 04-05-2007, 06:14 AM

March 26th was the "pay by" date? You have nothing to worry about. Just send the payment now. It takes towns a LONG time to catch up with those sorts of things. Way more than a week. Like, months.

**Daywalker** · 04-05-2007, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by deliberate

3. Don't pay it. Try to take a vacation later in life and get stopped at the border and arrested.
4. Don't pay it. Avoid society. Live in a secluded cabin in the woods for the rest of your life.

I would pick 4 if I were you. It is too late to salvage this.

I have been trending towards 4 recently anyways...

Actually, called the number and it was a completely auto fine-paying system. Paid the standard amount. Will see if anything comes of it.

**Tye 1on** · 04-05-2007, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Daywalker

I have been trending towards 4 recently anyways...

Actually, called the number and it was a completely auto fine-paying system. Paid the standard amount. Will see if anything comes of it.

Nothing will come of it, other than a profound dislike for the assmunchin, cocksuckin, beans-on-nachos-eatin piece of shit I.F. poleece occifers. Bastards. Asshats.

Ok, better now.
Same thing happened to me, for failing to use my turn signal. Fckn fishing expedition... after writing me the ticket, the old....have any drugs, weapons in the truck? No sir. Didn't think so, mind if I take a quick look? Yes sir I do. What, you mind if I look? Yes sir, I do mind. Ok, have a nice day........grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[hopefully there's been a thread here on consent searches and how to avoid them...]

So i didn't pay it on time either. Quite a bit late. Did then pay it, there was no late fee or penalty whatsoever. You're home free.
Fkn I.F....other place to watch your ass-Nephi Utah. Have had 3 buddies spend a nite in the hokey there...

**bio-smear** · 04-05-2007, 11:03 AM

I did that in CA once, and received a letter saying they had issued a warrant for my arrest. I promptly drove down to the sheriff's office the next morning and paid the ticket with associated fees, which had doubled the fine to $500.

This was all for not registering my vehicle in CA after having lived there for 10 months or so. After paying the ticket I continued to run my Oregon registration for 4 more years.

**lionelhutz** · 04-05-2007, 11:42 AM

Ha- how to avoid consent searches- impossible. If drugs are the issue forget about it. No expectation of privacy for contraband. They will just call in the drug dog- his sniff doesn't = a search.

**Crass3000** · 04-05-2007, 11:43 AM

Just call the courthouse and ask to pay the ticket. Maybe mention you were in the hospital? If your court date has not come up yet you should be able to do this without any worry about a warrant. But since the due date is normally your court date I assume you missed court.

If your court date has passed they will have issued a bench warrant for you so if you get pulled over they will take you to jail until you can see a judge. In this case it is best to call the courthouse and mention that you accidently missed your court date, are extremely sorry, and that you would like to pay the ticket. They will likely take your payment and tell the county to drop the warrant.

Make sure you ask them to check for warrants. If you have a warrant and the court clerk says that they will make sure it is rescinded make sure you follow up on it in a few days -- call the county sheriff and confirm that you no longer have a warrant. You don't want to get picked up when your friend is speeding to a party on Friday and spend the weekend in jail.

**Crass3000** · 04-05-2007, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by lionelhutz

Ha- how to avoid consent searches- impossible. If drugs are the issue forget about it. No expectation of privacy for contraband. They will just call in the drug dog- his sniff doesn't = a search.

I don't know the full context of what you were saying but if a cop ever asks you to search your car say, "I never give permission to an unwarranted search based on principle." It worked for me and sounds reasonable -- not like your hiding anything. I would have been in prison for years if they had searched that car that day (this was a long time ago -- I'm pretty boring now).

**4matic** · 04-05-2007, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by bio-smear

I
This was all for not registering my vehicle in CA after having lived there for 10 months or so. After paying the ticket I continued to run my Oregon registration for 4 more years.

That can be a $10k dollar fine..

**Tye 1on** · 04-05-2007, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by lionelhutz

Ha- how to avoid consent searches- impossible. If drugs are the issue forget about it. No expectation of privacy for contraband. They will just call in the drug dog- his sniff doesn't = a search.

Hmm. Ok, if you want to allow them, have fun. And true, a dog is somehow not considered a search. But, unless they have probable cause, if they are asking, it's within our rights to say no. And they cannot go ahead and search. Yes, they can bring in a dog. Yes, they can get a warrant and search. Yes, they can arrest and search incident to arrest. Yes, they MAY be able to do a 'Terry' search only for weapons. But they cannot withhold giving you back your driver's license until you consent to a search. In short, there is nothing nothing nothing to be lost by saying [verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry politely and respectfully] 'no' if asked whether an officer can 'take a quick look'.

**BeanDip4All** · 04-05-2007, 12:45 PM

I think you should come run the Nashville half when I am there for the marathon and get more parking tickets!!

**MarsB** · 04-05-2007, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by TNKen

In many states, if you don't get it taken care of, they will suspend your driver's license for the unpaid fine...

That's how it works in Virginia. Found this out the hard way w/ an unpaid HOV lane violation ticket. Later got pulled for speeding, officer ran my license # and informed I was also getting a ticket for driving with a suspended license (= same point value as a DUI in VA). Not good.

I'd pay it ASAP.

**bio-smear** · 04-05-2007, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by 4matic

That can be a $10k dollar fine..

The only thing Californian about me was my employer. I had an OR license, OR reg, OR based insurance policy. Oh I guess I had a CA home address too, but it didn't say that on my DL.

**char** · 04-05-2007, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by bio-smear

The only thing Californian about me was my employer. I had an OR license, OR reg, OR based insurance policy. Oh I guess I had a CA home address too, but it didn't say that on my DL.

I just got a fat tax return from Oregon by doing this very thing, except by maintaining my residency in WA, even though I lived in OR for 6 months. And I'll get even more back when I go and amend my return with the exact number of days I worked outside OR.

Other than that, fuck cops.

**Daywalker** · 04-05-2007, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by BeanDip4All

I think you should come run the Nashville half when I am there for the marathon and get more parking tickets!!

Events have conspired against me to make me currently broke and looking to save money for what could be an awesome summer. That leaves Nashville looking pretty bleak.

You're welcome to swing through St. Louis though, I've discovered some food delicacies that I'm guessing you have not sampled before.