Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Georgia
I am originally from Louisiana but I am now a resident of GA and I was contacted by a family member in LA stating that there is going to be a warrant issued for my arrest if I don't pay a $500 fine. When I contacted the Marshalls office I was told I had a disturbing the peace charge that I plead guilty to in 2002 and paid all of the fine but $60.00. Is there something I can do legally about this warrant and how does $60 turn into $500?
2 Answers from Attorneys
You have addressed your question to GA lawyers when it should have been addressed to LA lawyers. Is there something you can do? Probably - pay the money you owe. A court fine is not a credit card at 12-29% interest. You can arrange to pay it or hire a lawyer to go to court to fight it, but most people probably would be more concerned with resolving it ASAP considering they could get arrested.
You need to direct your question to a Louisiana criminal attorney. Louisiana has totally different laws than other states and I would even hesitate to venture a guess.
You ask how $60 can turn into $500. Simple. Its magic. Seriously, there are late fees/penalties or interest. Many cash-starved municipalities are turning over fines to for-profit corporations that are finding creative ways to inflate bills like this. And you were not very bright for leaving $60 owed to fester and grow into $500. Now you not only have a more expensive legal issue but you are probably going to have to pay attorney's fees on top of this to get it straightened out.
What I would do is contact a criminal law attorney in the parish where the crime occurred and get a copy of the criminal record there and see exactly what is what. Then I would hire the attorney to resolve this if you do owe some money so you can get this cleared up.
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