By MARTHA McCLAIN
Special to the PRESS
February 26, 2015
Laguna Vista police are conducting a warrant roundup, targeting offenders in Valley cities who owe more than $200,000 in delinquent fines here.
Local officials say it is a prelude to the Texas Warrant Roundup scheduled annually to collect debt owed for outstanding fines.
In their early efforts, officials collected $10,801 from Feb 18-24, according to City Manager Rolando Vela. “In last year’s local warrant round up, the Town collected a little over $18,000 in a four week period,” he added.
The outstanding fines come from nearby residents in South Padre Island, Laguna Vista, Port Isabel, Bayview, Los Fresnos, Laguna Heights, San Benito and Harlingen who have outstanding warrants in the town. “They are being approached at their place of employment or at their residences. They are required to pay onsite or go to jail and then be magistrated,” Vela said.
Beginning in February, U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Texas will kick off a massive effort known as the Texas Warrant Roundup to collect debt owed on outstanding warrants.
The Texas Warrant Roundup involves more than 260 jurisdictions state-wide. In 2011 alone, 4,110 arrest were made and 29,847 warrants were cleared in the city of Houston. If you think you have a warrant in your name, find out for sure. Don’t risk being arrested once the Texas Roundup starts.
The Town is initiating its own local warrant round up that started on February 18 and will be ending the following month (4 weeks later) and will overlap that Texas Warrant Round Up, which is a state-wide initiative that Laguna Vista is a part of.
The outstanding fines from the following communities include:
o South Padre Island $869.00
o Laguna Vista 30,600.00
o Port Isabel 32,776.00
o Bayview 5,151.00
o Los Fresnos 34,326.00
o Laguna Heights 4,078.00
o San Benito $59,409.00
o Harlingen $66,241.00
We are encouraging people that may have an outstanding warrant to please call 943-1793 and take care of it before they are possibly picked up,” Vela said.
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