Warrant For My Arrest

yesterday, sunday, i received a phone call in which i was informed that a warrant had been issued for my arrest for an unpaid traffic ticket issued on june 20th, the day of my traffic accident. i told the polite man on the other end of the phone that i had never been given a ticket. all he could tell me was that i would have to talk to the court about my warrant.

this morning i woke up and instead of working out i got ready to visit the municipal court. on a side note, that has nothing to do with my warrant, it was raining very hard this morning. so hard that it was difficult for me to find the court house. after making it into the court house and only slightly dampened by the rain, thanks to my oversized golf umbrella, i walked down a hallway until i found the clerk of court's office. i was third in line and only had to wait a few minute before it was my turn to speak with the clerk.

after the person in front of me left the clerks window the clerk waived at me to let me know that she was ready to handle my business for the day. i sat down in the chair across from the clerk and leaned over so that she could better hear what i had to say. you see, we were separated by a thick piece of glass that stretched from the ceiling to the top of the counter and there was only a small opening at the bottom of the glass to allow for the passing of paper any conversation that may need to be had. i told the clerk that i had come to talk about my warrant. she asked for my license and proceeded to look up my information. she confirmed that there indeed was a warrant out for my arrest for an unpaid ticket. i told her that i was never given a ticket. she then told me that a letter was sent to me on july 9th. i responded by telling her that i never received the letter. i'm sure she had heard this story before. more often a lie than the truth. without dismissing herself she got up and walked away. a few minutes later she came back with a folder that contained information pertaining to my ticket. inside the folder was a letter that had been returned to the court with a sticker stating that it was undeliverable.

i had changed my address a few weeks before my accident. it was even issued on june 8th. twelve days before my accident. at the scene of my accident i had given the officer my current address. somehow it was mixed up in the shuffling of paperwork because the letter had my new address, but my old apartment number. the clerk proceeded to tell me that i owed $265 dollars, but then quickly corrected herself and told me the amount was $343, and then asked me if i wanted to pay my ticket or post bond and scheduled a court appearance. both of which cost $343.

i might have made a moving violation when i made an unsafe left turn on a solid green light, which caused my accident, but it is not my fault i was never given a ticket by the officer or that i never received a letter about my unpaid ticket. i wasn't rushed away from the accident in an ambulance. so the officer had a chance to give me a ticket. i even stood around with the officer and a group of firemen while i waited for another officer to come and take me home because the one on scene was riding a motorcycle. then for the court to send a reminder to the wrong address after i provided the correct one to the police officer. of course i scheduled a court appearance to dispute my fine, and at the very least the $78 in late fees that have been added to it.

despite being milked for $343 this morning i'm still in a pleasant mood. now i need for my brother and my friend john to pay me back the money they owe me so that i can feel a little less broke.