If you have been contacted by the Harris County or Houston Municipal Courts about an outstanding warrant for traffic violations or other minor penal code or ordinance violations, now is this time to take care of it, because the 2018 Great Texas Warrant Round-Up is underway.
The City of Houston and Harris County are among the more than 250 law enforcement jurisdictions across Texas participating in the 2018 Great Texas Warrant Round-Up to locate individuals with outstanding warrants.
An arrest warrant is an official document that is signed by a judge or magistrate ordering police or other law officers to arrest someone for a specific crime and bring them before the court. An outstanding warrant is an arrest warrant that was issued sometime in the past but is still valid because the person has not been arrested yet.
Houston criminal defense attorney Lisa Shapiro Strauss encourages those with outstanding warrants in Harris County, the city of Houston and throughout Texas to take advantage of this opportunity to clear their record. A two-week amnesty period began Friday, February 9, 2018, allowing those with warrants to voluntarily take care of them without being arrested.
Don’t Risk Getting Arrested as Part of the Round-up
This amnesty period lasts until February 23. After that, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies will begin their “round-up” aggressively targeting and arresting those individuals on the warrant list. If you have an outstanding warrant you could be subject to arrest at any time and any place including at home, school, or work.
By the end of last year’s Great Texas Round-Up, thousands of Texans had been arrested and/or paid millions of dollars in fines.
Hiring an attorney and turning yourself in can save you the embarrassment of being arrested in front of your family, friends and co-workers.
Speak with a Houston Warrant Lawyer
If you’ve forgotten to pay a ticket or appear for a court date, you may have an outstanding warrant in your name. It’s in your best interest to contact an experienced Houston warrant attorney before a Texas law enforcement officer contacts you. They can confirm that you do indeed have an outstanding warrant, advise you on what steps to take if you do have a warrant and help you avoid unnecessary fines and jail time, including posting bond. If you can’t pay the fine, an attorney will often be able to work with the courts to arrange for a payment plan that fits your budget.
Houston criminal lawyer Lisa Shapiro Strauss provides experienced legal assistance to those accused of or charged with theft, shoplifting, driving while intoxicated, assault, and other crimes.
