EDINBURG — The municipal court here is launching its biannual two-week amnesty program today, in which those with active warrants can pay their fines without being arrested.
“No one will be arrested if they come in and make a payment in full or make an arrangement since we of course realize not everyone can pay,” Court Administrator Celine Pardo said.
The amnesty program runs through Aug. 17 and during that period those with Class C misdemeanor warrants out of Edinburg will have their $170 failure to appear charge dismissed if they come to court and make payment arrangements for their misdemeanor citation.
Class C misdemeanors are commonly traffic citations, but also offenses such as public intoxication, disorderly conduct and petty theft under $50. An arrest warrant is issued after someone fails to pay the citation or show up to court by a set deadline to contest the charge.
The court has approximately 32,000 outstanding warrants for such misdemeanors, according to Pardo, who noted that, “If someone absolutely cannot pay, the judge will work with them.”
The Edinburg Municipal Court, located at 1702 S. Closner Blvd., is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11 as part of the amnesty program, and a judge will be on hand to answer questions.
The court accepts cash, credit cards and money orders, and those wanting to know whether they have an outstanding ticket can call the court’s warrant division at (956) 318-8819.
