Some day I'll take care of it, if I ever plan to go to Texas again.    It's a BS warrant.  My wife and I got married in April '02.  We rented tables and chairs for the reception.  The reception was Saturday and we left for our honeymoon on Sunday.  My brother stayed at our house through Monday, because the party place was supposed to come pick up the stuff.  We returned the following Saturday and the stuff was still at our house.  Multiple phone calls and we found out the rental place's truck broke down and they couldn't pick it up.  They demanded I return it.  I asked how that was possible with a Mustang, and told him it wasn't happening.  I stacked the stuff up on the side of the house, and told them I would keep it safe until they could get it.  They weren't happy, but said "Fine."

Fast forward to July/August '02.  Stuff is still at my house.  Yeah.  3 or 4 months!  I get a call at work from an SAPD Detective.  He's calling about the stuff, they reported it stolen.  I explained the story to him, he asked if they could come get it.  I said "Please, I'm getting pretty damn tired of keeping it covered and mowing around it", Detective laughs his ass off and tells me he'll let them know.  A couple days later, they show up and take it.  Finally.  It's over.  (This portion of the timeline may not be totally accurate, it may have been a little earlier than July, but it's been so long I can't remember for sure, but it was MONTHS after the wedding.)

In January '03 my family and I moved to Arizona.  We forwarded all our mail, etc.  Got AZ Driver's licenses, turned in our Texas D/L's, etc.  In other words, not trying to hide.  I get a CCW in AZ, buy several NFA toys over the years, background check for 2 different jobs, apply for and receive a passport, basically have my life completely open.

Fast forward to April '08.  Our 6th wedding anniversary.  My wife and I fly to Cancun.  Have a great time!  Come back through Miami.  As I'm going through customs, I hand over my passport, the guy runs it and looks and me and asks "Have you failed to pay your child support?"  I'm like  Here's my wife, the only woman I have children with, and I certainly don't have to pay her child support.  He tells me I need to come with him, and he takes me to a holding area full of foreigners, and makes my wife sit with me.  She is NOT happy, sitting there thinking I may have some kids somewhere I didn't tell her about.  We have no idea what's going on, but have to wait.  After 30 minutes or so, I'm called up.  Customs agent tells me I have a warrant out of Texas, but it's for a misdemeanor and they will not extradite for that.  So we're "Free" to go, which meant escorting us to our luggage, where it's hand searched, and then finally let go.  

When we get home I make some phone calls and determine that a warrant was issued over the whole party place thing in June of '03.  Theft of Services, Class B (less than $500). 1 year and 2 months after the wedding, and 5 months after I left Texas.  I never received ANY kind of notice.  Nothing.  Not a letter in the mail, not a forwarded letter, no one said anything when I was getting my background checked multiple times by local police and feds, and no officer mentioned it when I was stopped for anything in AZ.  

I call a couple lawyers in TX, and they basically tell me the best thing to do is fly to TX and turn myself in.  For $2500 or so, they'll see what they can do, since I have a squeaky clean record, worst case is likely probation.  But, they tell me, because of the type of warrant, if I just don't go to TX anymore, I can just ignore it.  

So, that's where I'm at.  "Crime" was committed well over 8 years ago, and warrant was issued over 7 years ago.  It's had zero effect on my life, and I just don't see the point of paying a lawyer to fix it.  What would you guys do?

they check you for warrants coming in and out of the country??

Apparently only coming in.  No one said a word as I was going out.  

Hell, you'd think the Passport folks would let you know "Hey, this is only good for leaving the country, if you try to come back, we'll toss you in jail", but nope.

WOW.

Of course.

Unless you're coming from Mexico, then they just wave you through.

No proof of anything.  I didn't find out until 6 years after that there was even a warrant.  I though the issue was closed and over after the quick phonecall from SAPD.  I mean I was literally on the phone with the guy for less than 5 minutes.  

I'd get a lawyer, but its $2500, and has no effect on my life.  Just doesn't seem worth paying.

I was coming from Mexico.  

The detective should have a record of the incident....

Could you try and reach someone in the DA's office?  Or whichever office issued the warrant and explain what's going on?

I think you may have hit the nail on the head there.  Crazy story though.  You don't think a call to the local PD would help do you?

Get a lawyer to deal with it.....and have him call and threaten legal action against the party supply company for filing false charges against you.  It was their responsibility to pick up the tables and shit and they did not.

You may be fine, unless you go to Texas or travel by air again. Also, the way states are cooperating with each other (interstate violators compact) they may eventually all agree to suspend drivers licenses in your home state for warrants in other states. I would contact the company you rented from (maybe through a lawyer) and try to negotiate a dropping of the charges. You may be able you buy your way out of it without going to court.
It's worth a shot.

Are you Mexican? If not, they check you even more thoroughly.

"So, I have a warrant in Texas... Advice?"

Just stay out of Texas.    TT

But it is such a pretty state!

 

I'd sue the rental company over this.
 

Yeah, I don't know if they even still exist.  I can't find them anywhere online now.  It might be that they went out of business or changed names.  

My biggest worry is going and turning myself in and having it take a while.  I'm self employed.  Every day away from work is money out of my pocket.  Enough days away and my customers find someone else.  They can't stop because I do.  That and I've got better things to spend that money on.

Honestly, it would be my word against theirs.  I don't have anything proving they were supposed to pick up.  I had a receipt many years ago, but tossed a lot of that stuff when we moved to AZ.  Never knew it would be important to keep.  And I guarantee they aren't going to provide one showing they were supposed to pick it up.

good luck getting that cleared up. I have a friend who was recently stopped coming back into the us for a similar situation (traffic warrant he didn't know about).



he got it worked out by settling on the fine amount.

Yes it is but you don't get to see much from a jail cell.   TT

Buddy of mine had a warrant in Ohio... then it lapsed then he got another speeding ticket in OH, so another warrant (he refuses to pay it) which was fine (he lived in Michigan, so he didn't care...)  Then... he moved to OH.  He drives very cautiously now... but he's rolling around taking care of it so he can buy a can.



I'd just let it go, OP... not a big enough deal to fuck with unless they begin extraditing for petty stuff like that.

You "hassled" them because you wouldn't return their things even though it wasn't your responsibility. They are now returning the favor. Assholes.

Maybe he can do Chain Gang stuff?

 

Is there a statute of limitations for something like this?

Gigs up they're coming after you. Rob a bank and head to Caimen Islands, from their start dealing in drugs in order to survive. I hear coke and Herion gets big money.

Is there a statute of limitations on stuff like this?

was all their stuff just sitting outside your house when you moved?

Advice you ask?



"Watch your cornhole"

An indictment or information for any misdemeanor may be presented within two years from the date of the commission of the offense, and not afterward.  So, since I have a warrant, information was presented thus satisfying the statute of limitations.  I could be arrested 50 years from now for it in Texas.

If you are negotiating with the rental company don't forget the overdue bill they have for storage of their materials on your property...hell with the late payments and interest rates, it's probably in their best interest to make it go away.



Rhino

THis is why you should take care of it.

 

When the they bring up your passport on their computer, it tells them if there's any bad stuff & has other info like place of birth, birth date, ect....



 

They picked it up ~5-6 months before we moved.

I arrived in Arizona on Feb 1, 2003.  I'll never forget the date, because we were driving through Benson, AZ when the radio reports started coming through about the Colombia Space Shuttle blowing up.

If you aren't making any plans to go to Texas in the next copule of years....why bother?

Even if you get pulled over in another state or your current state and they run an NCIC check and see you have a warrant it will say no extradite on it.

Or just never go to Texas.    I've lived there.  Nothing there that makes me want to go back.  Arizona is much better in terms of law and beauty.  

I'd take care of it.  IIRC, aren't you in LE? I *could* be wrong.

I think they give the death penalty for that in Texas.  You'd do well to stay clear until you get it cleared up.

1. Fly to Mexico
2. Renounce US citizenship
3. Jump border into Texas
4. Profit!

[/Thread]

That's even more confusing.  They picked it up and then went to the cops and had you charged with theft?  I really think you should be able to get that taken care of.

OMG!!!  This thread just went EPIC!!  Deej is wrong!


Nope, not in LE.  I'm a self-employed small business owner.

LOL...proof positive I am not an archive server bot.

I'd still take care of it.

You're telling me.  That's why I didn't save anything.  They had me charged with "Theft of Services" - for the time they couldn't rent it, I guess lost profit?

I'd try to get in touch with someone in TX, maybe the DA's office.  Find out who to contact and write them a certified letter explaining everything.  That just sounds ridiculous.

That's not a bad idea.  I'm kinda hoping the place is out of business, because I think they would just drop it if there wasn't a "victim" anymore.  

ETA:  I wonder if they ever purge old warrants?  Do states ever do that?  Just drop old inconsequential warrants they can't "fill"?

if someone files criminal charges, you're innocent until proven guilty (even though you'll have to jump through a shit ton of hoops as an innocent man)

question (to maybe ask a lawyer): how would a trial occur if the person who brought up the charges isn't at court?

ETA big ol +1 on rhino's thing about charging the rental company storage fees.  

Wait a fucking minute...

$2500 to get probation in another state?

I'm getting a lot of mileage out of THIS pic lately:

Get it taken care of from afar.  Even if the plan is 'stay outta TX', you never know when your airline is going to reroute due to weather, terrorists, backlog, 0bungo flying around, stewardesses get horny, or whatever.  And if they reroute into TX, you might be fucked.



It might be a chunk o' change, but it'd be worse trying to take care of it after a reroute puts you in Dallas for a bit longer than anticipated.

That's what I was told by 3 different lawyers.  I was talking to SC-Texas about this back before he got banned.  Seemed to think that wasn't too far out of line, by the time all the paperwork got done.  He was going to find someone in San Antonio to help me out, since he was in Houston.  But, well, that chance went bye-bye.

I'd try and fix it but not for that reason. Even if the plane got rerouted its not like they are going to check his ID for landing in Dallas.