Then chances are very good that a warrant will be issued for your arrest. But there are things that can be done about that, so long as you hire the right attorney. Let me explain how it works:
When you are pulled over for speeding (or any kind of moving violation, like improper lane change or failing to signal), the police officer will in most cases give you a citation (i.e. a speeding ticket). This document will provide you with all the pertinent information you will need to know. For instance, it will state the time and date of the event, what exactly you are being cited for, the officer’s name and badge number, how to pay for the ticket, and when your court date is set for. Most tickets encourage you to simply pay the driving infraction in lieu of attending court. But if you wish to contest the ticket, you may of course appear in front of the judge (usually set in the evening on a weekday) and make an argument as to why you should not have been pulled over in the first place. This is your right, and you may exercise it if you want.
But if no action is taken by you (like you don’t hire an attorney after getting the ticket so that the attorney can get the citation reduced to a lesser charge, or contest the ticket in front of the judge), and you do not pay the fine or appear in court, then the judge will issue a bench warrant for your arrest. This means that a document is sent out to all available municipalities making them aware of the fact that a debt to state has not been paid, and that you should be arrested. So if you are subsequently pulled over for some other moving violation, the officer will run your driver’s license, see that you have an outstanding warrant, and instead of issuing a new ticket, he/she will simply arrest you on the spot.
There is, however, an alternative to getting arrested (or not driving at all for fear of being arrested, as many of my clients have done). You can hire an attorney to take care of the warrant for you. The attorney would negotiate on your behalf with the judge and/or prosecutor to get the warrant ‘pulled’ so that you no longer have that hanging over your head. In addition, it may also be possible for the lawyer to get the underlying speeding ticket reduced to some lesser charge (so that it won’t negatively affect your automobile insurance).
The affordable St. Louis traffic ticket attorneys at The Bankruptcy Company have been helping people get out of these kinds of jams for years. Our goal is to make sure that your driving record is as clean and clear as possible, so that you can safely get to work each day without fear. All phone conversations and office consultations are free of charge.