my husband was pulled over for and expired lisence plate (we didn't know it had expired the day before) and git a ticket for no insurence. this happened almost 6 years ago in Arkansas. my husband can't get a drivers lisence now because arkansas suspended it and we don't have $800 to spare to pay the fine. is there a law that says how long arkansas has to collect this fine before they have to close the case and never come after him again? it's a misdemeander but if we go to arkansas and get pulled over my husband will get arrested. over having no insurence.
he never went to court because we didn't have the money to pay the ticket ($150) obviously if we had the money to pay the ticket we would have had insurence. is there anything we can do? we just can't pay the fine. not without taking food off our kids plates.
2006-08-12 15:08:24 · 9 answers · asked by storm_magus3 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Contact the Legal Aid Society in the city in Arkansas where you got the ticket; they can advise because they know the laws there.
2006-08-12 15:14:40 · answer #1 · answered by Wrath Warbone 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's an aggravating experience for you, but it's not an unusual occurance. The expired registration was the least of your worries. The no-insurance, as you've noticed, can lead to a license suspension. The only way you can effectively handle the matter is to go back to the court. Your husband probably has a traffic warrant in his name by this time and it's for failure to appear on the citation he received. You should take it in steps. The first step is that you probably still have a car, though it might not be the same one. Make sure it's up to date and has the required minimum insurance. Get documentation in your hand that you can carry into court. He has to take care of the warrant, so contact the Arkansas jurisdicition (city) in which he received the ticket and call the police warrants desk and ask how much the warrant is for because you want to take care of it, if one exists. If they quote you an amount - it might be high - ask if you can self-surrender on it and sign up for a court date at the same time. Ask how it works so you're not faced with any surprises. He 'needs' to follow through with a court appearance on the citation, but many judges will want to know "what have you done in the meantime to get insurance, etc?". So this is where you want to be able to show to the court that you've made an effort to correct the problem. Your husband may still receive a fine. In fact he probably will. Most likely it will be less than the amount on the warrant at the present time. Doing all this will square things with the court, remove the warrant, and allow you to go to step 2. Step 2 involves going back to your department of motor vehicles and applying again for a valid license, which was previously withheld because of the unresolved Arkasas ticket and no insurance. You'll have to fulfill some tasks at DMV too.
It's alot of work on your end. But consider the alternatives. If he is caught driving with a suspended license, it is essentially the same as being 'unlicensed'. Here's where the police (at least here in California) will impound your car and they have an option of arrest rather than cite, though cite is still mostly done. But it also becomes a misdemenor, a step higher than the customary traffic infractions. It's just plain wiser and cheaper and makes better sense to grit your teeth and go ahead with a process of trying to fix things and get his license reinstated.
2006-08-12 22:32:20 · answer #2 · answered by nothing 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Generally (speaking from a Michigan Law Enforcement perspective here)...
Secretary of States will suspend driving priveledges INDEFINATELY for non-payment of tickets, or failing to comply with administrative fees.
Obviously, your $800 claimed fine includes a lot of these reinstatement type fees.
Unfortunatley, for you most states act upon an agreement that means when you are suspended in one state that you are suspended in all states. You need to pay up if you want to drive again legally.
Fortunately, your misdemeanor warrant will most likely only call for an in-state pickup in Arkansas... so if you live elsewhere you probably are not going to jail. Our misdemeanor warrants are purged after six years -- and I guess that it is similar down there.
My advice is to save your pennies and get your legal driving priveledges back -- its worth a lot more that $800.
I only feel sorry for you if over the last six years you have not thrown money away on:
smokes, booze, cable tv, dining out, any trip, any car worth more than $1,000. I'm also not sorry for you if you've been dining at the public trough instead of working.
Frankly, there is no excuse that lasts for six years. Time to get your priorities right and stop using your kids as excuses for your irresponsibility!
Mark "the truth" Jackson
2006-08-12 22:46:03 · answer #3 · answered by thetruthfromasimpleton 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You need to read the expiration date on the license plate dear. My good advice is to not let your husband convince you that you didn't know it expired. It's also a 'misdemeanor' dear, and if he didn't go to court, it's probably a 'bench warrant' as well. If you have no insurance, please stop driving that vehicle. You will get arrested in a lot of states for that. Do both of you work? If not, now is the time. I hear this complaint over and over "it will take food off our kids' plates" from people in the court system who commit crimes. Usually they are the ones who have the best cell phones, the digital plasma TV's and the most expensive toys. I hope that doesn't describe your family. If it does not, go to Legal Aid and ask for help with this court situation.
2006-08-12 22:15:11 · answer #4 · answered by swarr2001 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
In the first place, I think your story is suspect. In Arkansas you have a 30 day grace period to get your tags renewed. In other words, your tags were way more than one day out. On top of that, he will get arrested for driving without a license and insurance in any state.
2006-08-13 01:00:01 · answer #5 · answered by Gunrunner 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sell your computer and have a garage sale, you might get $800 out of that.
How much a month are you paying for internet access? Cell phones? Cigarettes? If your priorities are driving legally, you'll find the means to do so.
Sorry. But your husband broke the law. 2 of them. If I broke the law, I'd have to pay the price. You are no better than I am.
2006-08-12 22:17:02 · answer #6 · answered by artistagent116 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There is no statute of limitations Manage your money and go to your local legal aid office and perhaps there may be a way to resolve this issue.Good luck and I am grateful that I never ended up with such a loser. I'm sorry that he hasn't been able to support his family properly. I hope the best for those kids.
2006-08-12 22:19:41 · answer #7 · answered by firestarter 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i understand u dont have alot of money.but u do have the Internet so u could cut that off and send that money u would spend on that to Arkansas in payments.the ticket does not go away.he will never get a license till he pays it
2006-08-12 23:12:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Drive anyway. What are they going to do. Take away your lisence.
2006-08-12 22:15:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋