NOT SHOWING FOR COURT IN TX (TEXAS)

Question

i was driving through texas and received a ticket for speeding (as if i should be driving 60mph through a state where it takes 1/2 a day driving 80 ) but anyways i got the ticket and didnt show for court . . . WELL they charged me 300 dollars for not showing SUSPENDED MY LICENSE and ISSUED A WARRANT like are you serious ??? my question is can i just pay the 138 dollar speeding ticket and not pay this 300 dollar fee for not showing up when i NEVER LIVED IN THE STATE !

ps thanks for letting me vent a little bit . . . oh yeah by the way they think i am supposed to pay 898.00 to this whole in the wall city named TAYLOR TX . . . sorry if any one besides the people that work for the city out there live out there but the city is well . . . yeah

Answer 1

depends on if texas has some kind of "relationship" with your state.  I forget the terminology, but a warrant could be issued for your arrest if they do.  

if they dont, dont ever go back to texas cause they'll nail you.  I'm surprised they didnt make you pay it on the spot.  a bazillion years ago we got caught for speeding and had to follow the officer to the police station and pay the fine on the spot to avoid arrest.  

and with today's gas prices and all the carbon footprint blah blah blah, take a deep breath, slow down and relax.  take the extra time and save some gas

Answer 2

no you now need to pay the fee, plus the other associated charges in order to get the suspension lifted.

your state may also have some fees you will need to pay.

if you had bothered to read the ticket or listen to the polite officer, you would have found out about your options.  one was just to plead guilty or no contest and pay the $138.00 and be done.

you also had the option of showing up for court and having your day.  you would have to pay the fine plus court costs if the officer was there or the court accepted his disposition.

if he was not there, they may have dropped the case and dismissed the ticket.  or they could have rescheduled the case, but unlikely since you were out of town.

since you did neither, they added the court costs and fines together and fined you for not appearing when you indicated that you would when you signed the ticket.

since you ignored all the correspondence from the state, they went ahead and through the states reciprocity agreements, suspended your license.

if you are stopped now, they may run a license check and determine that you are driving with a suspended license.

this may or may not lead to arrest and impound of your vehicle, either way more fines.  get the picture?

ps-they have great bbq in tyler texas