If I didn't receive a summons, did I still miss court?

Question

I didn't finish paying a fine that i never had to go to court for, but they didn't send me anything saying i had to appear in court. I assume I have a warrant, but received no notice. This was nearly a year ago and I want to get rid of it, but I can't just go to the court easily because it is at least 5 hours away from where i live, so who in the court should i place a call to, and what will they probably tell me?

Answer 1

You can call the Court, the person you specifically need to talk to is the Court Clerk, he or she is responsible for arranging cases, and dates and keeping track of warrants and other paperwork.

Depending on what the fine was for, you may or may not have a warrant. You can have a warrant issued for your arrest for failing to pay required fines/fees. If it was a civil traffic offense you may just get your license suspended.

They will tell you if you have a warrant, and what the status of your case is. They may be able to tell you if they sent a summons to your address.

Something to check is if your license address is your current mailing address, since the courts use DMV records to send summons' and subpeonas. However failing to pay the fines is enough for them to issue a warrant for your arrest.

Hope This Helps.

Answer 2

Call the probation office. If you know who your probation officer was (is), ask for him or her. There may not be a warrant, especially if the balance left was small, but you will at least know that. If there is or is not a warrant, you should make arrangements to pay the balance. If there is a warrant, you need to surrender to the PO.