What is a Capias Warrant?

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.

What to Do When Your Bond Has Been Revoked

Suppose you neglected to either mail in the fine or appear in court after receiving a traffic citation. Soon you’ve forgotten about the entire thing as your busy life takes over only to find yourself rudely jolted back to earth when you learn there is a Houston County arrest warrant issued for you. At this point you can decide to head down to the Courthouse, hoping you get a kind judge who will believe your story as to why you missed your court date. If you are very lucky, the judge will simply re-set your court date. Notice I said if you are very lucky, so please do not assume this is the norm. More likely the judge will require you to post a bond to ensure you show up for your next court date. A Harris County traffic bond is also applicable if you did not realize there was an arrest warrant and were actually arrested or if you knew about the warrant and had either a bail bondsman or your attorney post a bond on your behalf.

When Your Bond is Revoked
Posting a Harris County traffic bond allows you to continue with your normal life, work and family until it is time for your next court appearance. The bond is presumed to be incentive for you to remember to show up for court since you lose your bond money if you don’t appear. Should you miss that second court date, not only will you likely be in serious legal trouble, you may also have your Harris County traffic bond revoked. If you didn’t hire an attorney the first time you missed your court date, it is absolutely time to do so now. The judge in your case is not going to take a second skipped court date lightly, and handling the situation on your own is not advisable.

If you choose not to seek legal help then in addition to bearing the cost of having your bond revoked, yet another Houston County arrest warrant will be issued, and this time the police may actively seek you out in order to execute the warrant. Bear in mind that the police officers who are sent out to find you and arrest you could care less where that arrest takes place. You could be arrested while out with your family, while at work, while taking your children to school or even at a school function. The officers will arrest you where they can find you regardless of the embarrassment it may cause you. In the end you could be facing your original traffic charges, two Failure to Appear charges and a revoked bond meaning you will be stuck in jail.

Red Light Cameras A Hot Topic in Houston

Red Light Cameras A Hot Topic in Houston

The topic of red light cameras in Houston has been a hot one since the City began employing them at major intersections on September 1, 2006. Proponents of the program hold that its main purpose is to decrease the number of red light runners and reduce collisions, while those in opposition argue that it’s aimed at making money for municipalities rather than improving traffic safety.