Police arrested a National Football League wide receiver because he had an outstanding traffic ticket. What happens to drivers in Kern County if they ignore their tickets?

After Denver Broncos wide receiver Cody Latimer got in a fight with a 25-year-old woman, he summoned Arapahoe County Sherriff’s deputies to the scene. Instead of filing a report and going on his merry way, the deputies took Mr. Latimer away in handcuffs because he had an unpaid traffic ticket.

The 23-year-old Latimer insisted that he handled the situation properly and that he did not know about the outstanding warrant.

Dealing with Unpaid Tickets

Many states have a similar procedure: if a defendant does not appear for a traffic ticket, the county charges the person with failure to appear and issues a warrant. California has a somewhat similar procedure: if the traffic ticket defendant does not appear, the state suspends the person’s drivers’ license. The DMV sends the suspension notice to the driver’s last known address, which may or may not be current. As a result, there are tens of thousands of Californians who are driving on suspended licenses at this very moment, and do not even know about the suspension order.

An attorney can deal with both aspects. In most cases, a lawyer can get a suspension order set aside is as little as one day with no court appearance. Then, thanks to a recent rule change, the ticket can be placed back on the court’s docket, no matter how old it is. Then, there are a full range of defenses available to either get the ticket thrown out or at least get the penalties reduced.

Getting Legal Help

The aggressive attorneys at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-349-9300 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-349-9755.