Legal Question in Traffic Law in Iowa

arrest warrant on failure to appear

Hello. I just found out yesterday that I have an arrest warrant for failure to appear and do not know what for. I have not been stopped by police and issued a ticket or anything. I called the police records office and they can't tell me what for. If I go down and take care of it I will be arrested for I don't know what.

I'm guessing it's for a parked car violation or something. I never ever found I ticket on my windshield. Last fall I did have a sticker on my side window saying my car would be towed if not moved. It was parked legally for a couple of days on a side street. I never found a ticket on my windshield unless someone pulled it off or weather blew it off.

I live just across the state line and talked to a lawyer in the state of my arrest warrant and he will charge $300 to show up with me in court get me released and find out what this is about. He said if I show up on my own I would spend at least a day in jail before I could be in front of a judge to resolve this matter.

I was wondering if anyone else had any advice for me or what process I should take. Also, what my fines would add up to be if it's a simple non-moving parking ticket or any way to get it dismissed.

Thank you.


Asked on 6/05/07, 11:37 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Duke Drouillard Drouillard Law, LLC

Re: arrest warrant on failure to appear

Chances are the total fines and costs that would be assessed are less than $300. An attorney charges according to the time and effort he has to expend, not according to the value to you. It is similar to owning a $300 car that needs a new transmission. The mechanic will charge you $1600 for a rebuilt transmission regardless of how much the car is worth before or after the repair. In your case, the easiest way to resolve this would be to write a letter to the city prosecutor stating everything you posted on this board and ask if this may be resolved without you being subject to arrest. Tell him the absolute truth and do not try to make your position sound better than it actually is. Realize that the city prosecutor does not have your best interest at heart, but he cannot lie to you and anything he offers will be honored by the court. If your situation involves Omaha, you should contact Martin Conboy by mail or email. Failure to appear charges generally require a personal appearance by you, but the city prosecutor has the authority to waive that if he wants to and settle this through correspondence.

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Answered on 6/05/07, 12:01 pm


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