Legal Question in Criminal Law in Oklahoma

I am trying to lease an apartment, and today when they ran my legal history they called me back and said that I could not be leased an apartment because of a contributing to the delinquency of a minor ticket I received in junior college in 2002. I called the local D.A. to discuss the case and ask if I could pay the fines over the phone, or via check or money order and they said no. They informed me that I must travel down there and go to court with anattornye and enter a plea. This does not sound correct to me. What is the time limit that charges like this may be prosecuted? Any and all advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.


Asked on 2/09/10, 11:52 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Jay Ramey Jay K. Ramey, Attorney at Law

There is no time limit to prosecute ANY charges once the case is filed. You must have an attorney and you must enter a plea. Depending on the jurisdiction, you might be able to have the attorney enter the plea for you. It depends on the judge. Only one time have I had a judge not let me enter a plea in a misdemeanor case for a defendant that lived far away.

If this case is filed in state court, as it sounds like, you don't just "pay a fine" and be done with it. This charge carries jail time. Off the top of my head, I think it carries up to a year in jail. Therefore, an attorney must negotiate a plea bargain in this case that, hopefully, does not include any jail time. Or you could proceed to trial. After this many years have passed, the state may not be able to produce witnesses against you.

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Answered on 2/14/10, 2:38 pm


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