Asked 4/15/2016 – Corpus Christi, TX

car got impounded for no insurance, showed up to municipal court to plead but the clerk said I was not entered in system.

Answer

By statute, the State has 2 years from the date of offense to file misdemeanor charges against an individual. This includes class c misdemeanors (traffic tickets). When a person is issued a ticket, the officer has the ability to take that person to jail, just as if the person was charged with assault or murder, but in most cases, the officer allows the person’s signature on the ticket to serve as a personal recognizance bond and the person is released. The ticket is a notice of where and when to appear. The person then has the duty after being released to appear in court by the date stated on the ticket and inform if whether they intend to pay or contest the citation. Just file a written notice with the court that you want to plead not guilty, keep a copy of the request, then wait for the court to send you a court date. You may want to talk with a local attorney to keep this matter from becoming a conviction; otherwise, your driver’s license may get suspended