The word “capias” means “that you take” in
Latin, therefore a capias warrant is usually issued to compel someone to
do take a specific action. Capias warrants are issued by civil courts,
therefore they are apart from a criminal arrest warrant, however make no
mistake—you can wind up in jail as a result of a Texas capias warrant.
In some cases people who owe the court money based on a prior court
judgment but neglected to pay could have a capias warrant issued for
them, or someone who fails to appear for a civil hearing could end up
with their name on a capias warrant. The ultimate goal of a capias
warrant is to force someone to comply with a court order. Certain
jurisdictions also use capias warrants in the case of persons who failed
to pay their traffic citation or appear in court as promised, however
this is generally after a plea has been entered while an alias warrant
is used prior to a plea being entered.
How to Avoid a Capias Warrant
In order to avoid a capias warrant you must always comply with court orders, pay your fines promptly or appear in court as promised. There is a problem with simply paying your traffic fines, however. Once you pay your traffic fines, you receive a conviction on your driving record. Each conviction brings points along with it—generally two points for any moving violation such as speeding, driving with an expired registration or inspection sticker or running a stop light or stop sign. You will be given three points for any moving violation which resulted in an accident.
Should you accrue six points on your driving record within a three-year period, you will be subject to surcharges assessed by the State of Texas which can climb into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars and require you to pay the yearly fee for three years or more. The points on your driving record can result in escalating insurance rates or even a cancellation of your auto insurance altogether. You could also see employment repercussions as a result of the convictions and points on your record, so even though you want to avoid a warrant, pleading guilty or paying your tickets is not always the best way to accomplish that.
How to Avoid a Capias Warrant
In order to avoid a capias warrant you must always comply with court orders, pay your fines promptly or appear in court as promised. There is a problem with simply paying your traffic fines, however. Once you pay your traffic fines, you receive a conviction on your driving record. Each conviction brings points along with it—generally two points for any moving violation such as speeding, driving with an expired registration or inspection sticker or running a stop light or stop sign. You will be given three points for any moving violation which resulted in an accident.
Should you accrue six points on your driving record within a three-year period, you will be subject to surcharges assessed by the State of Texas which can climb into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars and require you to pay the yearly fee for three years or more. The points on your driving record can result in escalating insurance rates or even a cancellation of your auto insurance altogether. You could also see employment repercussions as a result of the convictions and points on your record, so even though you want to avoid a warrant, pleading guilty or paying your tickets is not always the best way to accomplish that.
