Legal Question in Traffic Law in Missouri

Warrant for Previous Traffic Violations.

In 2004, my son decided that he wanted to take a vacation to MO to see his dad. When he got up there, he decided to stay and live. He retained a home and job for the two months he was up there.

He was pulled over two seperate times, and the police officers informed him that he must change his license and registration over to MO since he was residing there instead of FL. Two days before he was to return home, the officers pulled him over and wrote him a ticket. He informed him that he would be leaving for MO but they still gave him a ticket. The two tickets are for Failure to Reister a Vehicle, and the other, Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance. He asked where to pay and they said that he had to stay there and appear in court. One question: Why do you have to appear in court for these tickets? Usually you just have to pay a fine at the court house.

He returned to FL, and never paid. Well we searched the records, and now there are two warrants out for his arrest. $50 and $75 cash bonds. We called to resolve this and they want to turn him in an arrest him.

Is there anything a lawyer could do to prevent a hardship trip to MO? He is the breadwinner of the family and cannot afford to take time off of work for weeks.


Asked on 7/11/08, 11:53 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
Michael R. Nack Michael R. Nack, Attorney at Law

Re: Warrant for Previous Traffic Violations.

The good news is that an attorney can take care of everything for your son, and no trip from Florida to Missouri should be necessary. (The bad news is that it will cost a little bit of money!) In Missouri most courts will cancel an outstanding warrant upon the Entry of Appearance by an attorney. Then, if your son can provide proof of proper registration and proof of insurance, the attorney will be able to negotiate a plea bargain which will avoid convictions. If your son just paid these tickets, he might have his license suspended. In fact, his license might already be suspended for failure to appear in the Missouri Court. Please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to offer you a free consultation to determine whether or not I can help you.

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Answered on 7/12/08, 11:56 am
James Manning James Manning, PC

Re: Warrant for Previous Traffic Violations.

You could most likely hire an attorney to get the warrants pulled and to obtain a plea bargain to a lesser offense, pay the applicable fines and conclude these matters. Usually, it will not be necessary for the client to appear in person for something like this. This, of course, can depend on the judge. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

- James

The choice of a lawyer is an important choice and should not be based solely upon advertisement.

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Answered on 7/12/08, 12:06 pm


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