The Great Texas Warrant Roundup began Feb. 12 and will continue until March 9. Anyone with a Class C misdemeanor can take care of it without fear of arrest until March 9; however, between Feb. 24 and March 9, those with warrants need to get to the courts before being served as the roundup winds up.
The Great Texas Warrant Roundup kicked off in Corpus Christi with an announcement by Municipal Court Presiding Judge Gail Loeb, Corpus Christi Chief of Police Mike Markle and Municipal Court Director Gilbert Hernandez.
The roundup began Feb. 12 with a two-week amnesty period during which anyone with an outstanding Class C misdemeanor can take care of it without fear of arrest. The amnesty period ends Feb. 23. Officials will be actively seeking out those with outstanding warrants Feb. 24-March 9.
For those who don’t take care of their fines before the Feb. 24 date, they can still get ’er done before March 9, but they will need to beat the knock on the door.
“Even after the first two weeks, if you step into court to pay, you won’t be arrested,” said Jesse De Leon, public information officer for the city. “But if someone with a warrant is out and about and whether officials are looking for them specifically or they are pulled over for a tail light out or something, they will be taken in.”
The city recently mailed 20,000 red postcards to people with active, outstanding warrants. The cards encourage people to come in or pay online to have their warrants taken off the record. No one will be arrested who comes in to clear up a warrant.
“This is a positive, cooperative program,” De Leon said. “Those who come in and need help, the courts will work with them to get it. For example, those who are in trouble because of substance abuse issues will be helped with resources to improve their situation. This is a cooperative effort to act responsibly and take care of any warrants.”
More than 2,500 warrants were cleared up by the city’s municipal court during last year’s roundup.
Individuals can find out if they have Municipal Court warrants by contacting (361) 826-2500 or mcmail@cctexas.com.
Payment options for outstanding warrants include:
• appearing in person at the city of Corpus Christi Municipal Court, 120 N. Chaparral St., from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday;
• paying in full at municipalonlinepayments.com/corpuschristitx,
• mailing payment to P.O. Box 23077, Corpus Christi, TX 78476-2235;
• or depositing payment in the drop box located near the entrance of the Municipal Court. Cash, check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted.
Payment plans and community service hours are available for those who qualify.
