The Waco Municipal Court is getting ready for a three-week amnesty period when anyone with an arrest warrant out for an unpaid ticket in Waco can come in and pay their fine without late fees and without fear of being arrested.
During the amnesty period that will run from Monday to Aug. 25, all warrants and late fees for unpaid tickets will be cleared, and individuals can elect to pay for their ticket through a payment period if needed. The court at 201 W. Waco Drive will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Community service also is available for people who cannot afford to pay their fines, and some fines could be waived if they are deemed to be excessive and the individual cannot afford to pay them, Judge Bobby Garcia said.
Typically, when someone is issued a citation, they have 10 days to appear at the court to contest or pay their ticket. After 30 days, a warrant can be issued. But Garcia said the Waco Municipal Court has about 40,000 active warrants for unpaid tickets, and he wants to help people get those tickets paid.
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“People that have outstanding warrants, they’re always in fear that they might get arrested,” Garcia said. “It prevents them from wanting to come to the court and pay their tickets.”
Only people who have warrants issued through the Waco Municipal Court will have those warrants waived. Garcia said the amnesty period is largely a response to feedback he has gotten since he started as Waco’s municipal judge last year, hearing from people terrified of being arrested over something as small as an unpaid parking or speeding ticket.
“Since I’ve been here since October, I’ve encountered people that came into the court, and when I spoke to them, they said they were terrified to appear, they even sat in the parking lot and had sent somebody else in for them, because they were terrified that they were going to get arrested,” Garcia said. “So that makes me believe that there are a lot of people like that, that are fearful, because they got this warrant.
“So this is just helping people see that they will not be arrested, and this will give them a chance to take care of it.”
A list of outstanding warrants can be viewed at the Waco Municipal Court’s website. The court can also be contacted at 254-750-5426 or by email at [email protected].
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