Annual Statewide Warrant Roundup Begins 1
By Susan Schrock
Posted on February 19, 2016, February 19, 2016

Got warrants? Now's the time to pay up to avoid arrest.

Arlington will join more than 300 law enforcement jurisdictions from across the state for the annual Great Texas Warrant Roundup, which begins Friday, February 19, 2016 and runs through Sunday, March 13, 2016.

The roundup is designed to target thousands of individuals with traffic, parking, city ordinance and penal code violations. Law enforcement agencies and cities throughout the state will conduct roundups at the same time, focusing on violators with outstanding Class C misdemeanor warrants.

Click here to see if you have a warrant in Arlington.

In Arlington, notices have been mailed to about 42,000 individuals with active warrants from the past three years. Arlington residents with outstanding city citations are encouraged to appear in person or pay the Arlington Municipal Court before March 5 in order to avoid being arrested at home, work or school during the Warrant Roundup.

"If they don't take care of it, eventually they will get arrested. Usually at a very inopportune time," said Municipal Court Director David Preciado.

Those arrested are taken before court judges for arraignment and disposition of their cases. Full payment or suitable arrangement for full payment will be due at that time. Other options may include a cash bond, a Magistrate Court appearance or attorney representation.

As an incentive, the Arlington Municipal Court will waive the Linebarger collection agency fees on warrants paid in full, if accompanied by the official notice.

Arlington is working to clear an estimated 95,000 outstanding tickets that people from the Dallas-Fort Worth region have failed to take care of during the past three years.

"It really behooves them to come in before it becomes a warrant. We don't want to pick them up. We don't want to put them in jail," Preciado said. "We want to clear these cases."

Here's how to clear an outstanding warrant:

  1. Fines may be paid in person (cash, check, money order or credit card) at the Arlington Municipal Court, located at 101 S. Mesquite St., Mon-Fri, 7:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
  2. Fines may be mailed to the Municipal Court: P.O. Box 90403, Mail Stop 63-0100, Arlington, TX 76004-3403. The court accepts checks or money orders payable to the City of Arlington and the fine must be paid in full.
  3. Fines may be paid by credit card online at www.arlingtontx.gov/municipalcourt. Payment must be made in full. There will be an additional service fee for this payment option.
  4. Fines may be paid by credit card by calling GPS, Inc at 1-888-604-7888. Payment must be made in full and GPS will charge a service fee. Pay location code for GPS is #1120.
  5. If the warrant is for an un-adjudicated case (a case in which no plea has been entered and no judgment has been made) a surety or cash bond may be posted. Once the bond is posted the warrant will be cleared and the case set for court.
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