Seriously. Florida, how much state money did you spend to recover $85.? Did you ever mail her a bill? I bet she would have paid it. Did you ever, maybe, flag her drivers license so when she went to renew it, they could tell her to call the county? So many simple ways to recover the money. This is ridiculous and destructive. No one wins here.

Hahahahaha! I can't stop laughing! She should have known that cigarettes aren't good for you!

The family had been aboard the Disney Dream cruise ship and Brevard County police officers were waiting for her as she left the boat.

What I don't understand is they got her coming off the ship.

when they checked the ship's passenger list for terrorists, they found a warrant for Hall.

They wait until after the cruise to check for terrorist? Wouldn't that be a little late?

I guess the crimes of murder and now a Florida court cost warrant are the only things that doesn't expire under the statute of limitations.

The problem is many states allow laws especially outstanding warrants to be enforced across state lines so they could probably have collected the $85 dollars anywhere she was in the country if they wanted too. The problem have is why she was allowed to leave the court without paying the court cost. I've never heard of them letting anyone leave the court house without paying first.

government and there henchmen so zelous with everyone but not so zelous with themseves and their dirty work

Florida Law Enforcement is a joke, what a bunch of stupid rednecks to actually serve this. Get out out and do your real job like arresting some drug dealers if you can get more guts than this......

This is just as stupid as putting people who smoke marijuana in jail. Should we jail people who smoke or have a small amount of marijuana in their possession?

"...now helps design jet engines..."

Now they're both sucking wind. But on the bright side neither one smokes like they used to.

jrl

Didn't Florida go Democratic this last election? Now, who are the rednecks?

Yes they voted for a democratic president. But they are still run by and controlled by the gop. Which the leader is a criminal too. But I guess this woman doesn't have enough money to get away with it like our governor did.

Glad she turned her life around, but seriously, do thieves EVER think they got what they deserved?

Just wow.

WTF people...She committed a crime and didn't take care of it....She had 22 years to pay whatvre fine she was going to get, but chose not to...And you weep for her because she got busted on a warrant?? Remind me to have asshats like you on my jury if I ever need one....

This is the same state that couldn't keep Casey Anthony in jail but keeps Robin Hall in jail because of a 22 year old bookkeeping error?

Way to go Florida. Still putting yourself on the map for all the wrong reasons

@flnobody - "hey wait until after the cruise to check for terrorist? Wouldn't that be a little late?"

thank-you, my morning just got better......LMFAO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, Florida is not the one to blame for this. She failed to pay the court costs in Connecticut so they issued an arrest warrant for her. All Florida did was exercise the warrant issued by Connecticut when she popped up on the cruise ship passenger list. Because the warrant is from another state, it is not up to Florida to allow her to pay the money and go, she needs to be transferred to Connecticut for her to appear in court there and resolve the matter. I hate these articles that try and make you feel sorry for people who did something wrong. She is the one that failed to pay her obligation that resulted in an arrest warrant being issued for her. She has no one to blame for this but herself. The fact that it took 22 years for this to catch up with her is a little surprising as most states do cross checks like this on drivers license renewals or possibly income tax returns, but I guess Connecticut does not. I guess she has not had any other contact with the Connecticut police since the warrant was originally issued, such as getting a ticket, so this has been hanging out there all this time. I am surprised that her employer did not catch this as most employers run background checks when they hire people. This makes me wonder about Pratt & Whitney's employee screening process a little, since I would have expected a company like this to run background checks, particularly with the number of government contracts they have. In any case, she has no one to blame but herself and for people to blame Florida in any way is just wrong. Florida had no choice but to honor a duly sworn out arrest warrant for her from Connecticut and hold her for extradition to that state.

You would think the statute of limitations would prevail here but I guess since money is involved, they would have hunted her to the ends of the earth.

It's her own fault. Had she been responsible and PAID the fine she would have never had a problem. They always think it is so unfair when they finally get caught but it's all on her.

I feel much safer knowing this hardened criminal is off the streets! I will sleep much better now.

This is ridiculous... let this woman pay the stupid money. leave her alone. she isn't a serial

killer. I AM DISGUSTED.

For all of those who feel she got what she was asking for: you are a pack of incredible jack-asses. She was 18 when she did the shoplifting. Hell, I did far worse, yet went on to spend 10 years in the Air Force and then 8 years working for the Virginia State Police. During that time I got my 4-year engineering degree. People can and do change. I seriously doubt very many of us would bear up to any degree of scrutiny.

flnobody:

They wait until after the cruise to check for terrorist? Wouldn't that be a little late?

Where did it say they waited until the end of the cruise to check for terrorists? The article stated they waited until after the cruise to arrest Ms. Hall, but they did their screening well before the ship returned to dock. Had anyone been suspicious of terrorism, they would have intervened immediately. However, since she only had a warrant for an $85 unpaid fine, they knew they could afford to wait until the ship returned, since she wasn't a threat to anyone's lives.

dirp - It is actually very unlikely this is from a Ct court. If you had any idea what you are talking about then you would know that an 85$ crime of theft would be classified as a misdemeanor which is not extraditable beyond state lines.

you know what they say do the crime! this is what you get when you break the law. if this had been me i know i would have had it coming. own up and pay your fines!

I get it, she didn't pay the fine and she needs to pay it...but come one folks...she was 18 when she got caught. If it was her first offense she probably didn't know what to do. And if no one ever said anything again such as "You need to pay your court fee" she might not have known there was a court fee. This is not something to go to jail for! Should she pay the fine? Of course, but come on...let's not get crazy.

since she wasn't a threat to anyone's lives

right so they stick her in jail for 4 days.....while the REAL criminals roam free.....WTF???

Meanwhile, as police waited for Robin Hall to leave the ship, 3 people were murdered, a woman was raped, a man mugged and a car was stolen all less than a block away from the dock.

Food costs, paperwork and transfer fees on this woman will all cost more than $85 - glad to see the government working to lower costs.

On the other hand.....

We have a woman from Florida here who is a fugitive on an open arrest warrant. She was on probation after being convicted for accessory to felony auto theft.

She committed bigamy, living with a man here for ten years claiming to be married to him, availing herself of his medical insurance for surgery and expensive medication, and he only realized he wasn't legally married when he tried to divorce her.

She is on probation here after being convicted for buying and selling prescription drugs. Florida was notified of her location and our law enforcement told them they would escort her to the state line.... but Florida said "thanks but no thanks, we don't want to bother with it right now. If she ever comes down our way and we run across her we'll pick her up, but it's not a priority for us."

Beam me up, Scotty, no intelligent life here....

flynobody, read the whole comment. I don't believe she is from Florida, just there to take a cruise. The warrant comes from a different state, presumably Conn., as that is where she is from. All the cops in Florida are doing is making an arrest based on a Conn. court, not because they are looking to collect $85.00 for some other jurisdiction. The "redneck" comes not from me, rather some toad that can not come up with a rational statement, rather he/she falls back on some moronic name calling, which generally indicates a mind that goes in one speed, slow.

Any percieved indictment is not meant for him/her as a Democrat, rather for those that can do no better than rant, rave or call people names like a bunch of little kids.

As President Obama recently said, we need to let common sense prevail! The woman was on vacation with her kids! If she was on a Disney Cruise I'm sure she had $85 to pay the fine. It's so ridiculous. Can you imagine how embarrassing it was for her family? I guess they were using her as an example...PAY UP OR ELSE! Any body who's got any old fines out there better get them taken care of! I wonder if I have any....

"I take full responsibility for what I did but I do not believe I deserve this," Hall said.

Yea because you got caught.

She had a warrant on her @ss the cops did their job. My only problem with this is they are not adding interest and penalties like the IRS does.

@JimBob123 - Actually you are the one who is wrong. The warrant had to have been from Connecticut, otherwise there would have been no way for Florida to even know about it. This is not about a misdemeanor theft charge, she failed to pay the court costs and this will result in a bench warrant being issued. This had nothing to do with the original shoplifting charge as that had been adjudicated, it was her failure to pay the court costs that resulted in a the new charge, failing to pay the court costs, that got her arrested. Usually in cases like this the judge will tell the person to go see the cashier to pay the court fees at the conclusion of the hearing. You are supposed to do this before you leave the courthouse and apparently she did not. Bench warrants are extraditable, so Florida did exactly what they were required to do under the full faith and credit clause of the Constitution, they honored the warrant from Connecticut and are holding her for extradition. It is possible that Connecticut will waive this and tell Florida to just release her, but that can not happen until the Connecticut court is notified that she has been arrested and is awaiting extradition, which will not happen until today at the earliest since the courts were closed for the holiday weekend. This is likely what will happen because Connecticut will not want to pay the costs for sending an officer down to Florida to get her over an $85 bill. They will simply wait until she comes home on her own and deal with it then.

Jrl,

Biden was the Senator from Delaware not Connecticut. I don't even like the guy but I at least know where our elected leaders use to represent.

As for the story, they should have asked the woman for a check and been done with it. This was a horrendous waste off resources and shows that these local officers have way too much free time on their hands ignoring serious crimes and current problems.

And the real criminals are running free?

Homeland security is working over time to keep you safe.

Although this woman had committed a crime and has to face the consequences I think this was poorly handled, to enforce laws and to simply harass people are two different things, this is a case of over reaction and how stupid law enforcement can be, and that in this case is a crime in itself, Florida is surpassing California in stupidity and its time to start holding law enforcement and the judicial system accountable for problems encountered over their stupid acts, yes they to should be held accountable, when they screw up lives get ruined. bad Florida! this is a reflection of you and how pathetic the state is becoming, and the saddest thing is the rest of the nation is not far behind you.

What good does it do to look for terrorist after the cruse? come on homeland!" we pay you for this?

Agreed, tremendous waste of resources over $85 in court costs (not fines or theft of cash, as JSinSD has pointed out). And it will be interesting to see if they will indeed add penalties and/or interest, as Devil's Son mentioned. Interest on that seemingly insignificant amount alone should be considerable - I'll leave it to you math wizards to calculate. Simple issue: she owed and didn't pay the court costs, so her treatment was warranted. Deeper issue: she is clearly "rehabilitated," and if I were making the decision, I'd set her free.

This does sound ridiculous, but it's either laws or no laws. There will always be outliers who get caught up in what common sense dictates as being unreasonable, but once an exception is made every nickel and dime lawyer willabuse that exception. The absence of law allows the entry of abuse. Which Americans know all too much of, (abuse everything in order to get a little extra). That is why, as people, we want more laws. However, we can see the effect of said laws.

It don't take a rocket scientist to know you shouldn't shoplift. It's hard to believe a thief can say "I do not believe I deserve this" with a straight face.

only in Florida!

what a bunch of stupid rednecks

Just an FYI, alot of the LEO here are from NY and NJ.

only in Florida!

Only Florida would arrest someone with an arrest warrant?

The original arrest was in Fl. which make sense. In Ct. nobody has every pulled a comprehensive warrant search on her. When she gets her driver's licence renewed they only look at her State record. She did drop the ball but I doubt the county ever tried to collect. They issued the warrant and forgot about it. If she would have maintained residency in Fl. she would have paid the fee long ago because at some point she would have been informed.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/22/mom-arrested-for-11-florida-theft-after-cruise-with-family/

Justice, swift for the poor, protracted for the rich. Go Crony-Capitalism.

The crime of shoplifting was taken care of in court. She was not running away from that. I doubt she was knowingly "running away" from anything. She was only 18 when she made her court appearance, and, most likely, she was frightened. As well she should have been. But... she took care of business IN the courtroom, and probably wasn't sure of what court costs were, and that they had to be paid right away. Teenagers don't always have the experience to weave their own way through the legal system.

Too bad her town/city didn't do what ours does. Once a year, they publish the names of those owing fines and other legal fees to the city, along with the notification that arrest warrants will be sworn out if the fines, etc, are not paid. You have a given amount of time to pay before being arrested for non-payment. You are also allowed to make timely payments if you cannot pay the entire amount in full. I've never been arrested for anything, but I check the list anyhow, because you just never know if someone's stolen your identity.

If this woman moved after the court case, the thing she should have done is checked with the courts about any type of fine/fee she might have forgotten. Again, she was a teenager and might not have been aware of pending payments. In that instance, her parents should have been keeping tabs on those things for her.

I believe if they could track her down to that very ride, why didn't they just send a certified letter to her address? Also, why can't they find murderers and drug dealers? I really wonder about our legal and justice systems sometimes.

Notice this isn't about the cigarettes. It is about failure to pay court costs. That is a joke. That is members of the justice system being dirtbags because they can. Failure to pay court costs should be a civil matter, a debt, just like any other.

And by the way, this is also the way that we have debtor's prison in this country. Laughable. It's why as a lawyer I consider our justice system completely broken.

This is excessive punishment for something a kid did and a misdemeanor.
Think about this the next time you miss or owe any bill. Car payment, phone,
credit card, etc. Excessive humiliation is all this amounts to by something
done by a teenager 20 years ago. I bet if she was an actor stealing jewels she
wouldn’t be in jail until they feel like moving her.

jrl

flynobody, read the whole comment. I don't believe she is from Florida, just there to take a cruise.

My post was in reference to your comment.

Didn't Florida go Democratic this last election?

I know she was not from Florida. That's why I didn't say any thing about that or the rest of your post.

Apparently when it comes to court costs, there is no statute of limitations... Hmmmm?

lol this is the same state that let littleboy george zimmerman walk on a murder beef..but you arrest a woman for a 22 year old warrant over 85 bucks...smh

This is so stupid!

Regardless if she failed to pay he court fees, this is a waste of time, money and life! Time that should be employed catching real criminals, money from police budget and taxpayers, and her life! They could have gotten ahold of her a long time ago. If she has a valid driver's license they can find her! She put herself through college, held a job and is probably close to retirement, and she will probably get fired from it because of this stupidity! Way to go, A$$HOLES!

Everybody does something stupid as a teenager. If I had gotten a fine and then never heard about it again, I would have ignored it too--thinking it was all taken care of. At taht age we all make mistakes. This is hardly an offense worthy of jail. Fine her, make her cough up the money immediately, or deduct it off of her state tax return --putting her in jail is stupid. At least they let her finish her expensive family vacation instead of pulling her off the ship and ruining it for the whole family.

And I would feel safer if they did the terrorist check BEFORE they get in the ship, and not when people are in the middle of the sea with nowhere to go!

You would think the statute of limitations would prevail here but I guess since money is involved, they would have hunted her to the ends of the earth.

Statute of limitations applies to the time that elapses from when you commit a crime until you are prosecuted. In this case she had apparently been found guilty and fined, so the statute of limitations doesn't apply. She didn't pay her fine, so an arrest warrant was issued. I imagine if the cops have a chance to arrest someone with an outstanding warrant, they do it. It's not their job to determine whether or not the offense warrants being picked up. Cops execute outstanding warrants, and the courts deal with the other questions.

Rob68 #1.16

This went completely right over your head dude. OMG. And you call us asshats. That'll get you a lot of friends and if it already has, they're the kind of friends you deserve dude... One of the "many" clueless....

It probably cost about 10 grand if not more of the tax payers $ to get their $85.00 back. Pffffft.....

LG,

They actually check the "name list" before they board the ship. Many days before they bget on.

They check when they get back because you never know who's coming from other Countries "back" to the US by ship. Terrorists will do just about anything to get into our Country then do what they do best "Terrorize"

Reading comments in here really makes me hate people in general.

They didn't waste resources you knuckleheads... They checked a list of passengers and her name popped up. Do the crime, do the time. What a bunch of morons who can't seem to either be bothered to read or comprehend an article.

"I take full responsibility for what I did but I do not believe I deserve this," Hall said.

Rhett Butler: "You're like the thief who isn't the least bit sorry he stole, but is terribly, terribly sorry he's going to jail."

;-)

I agree creek, and as a matter of fact, It would be wise for the people of Florida to demand an exact count of how much it cost them to destroy this families vacation, for $85 more than 20 years ago....and if we could the people of the US would like to know exactly how much was spent in 22years trying to imprison someone over debt....she committed the crime and had consequences, but the fine is more than just a punishment as it usually is (all in the name of consequence), it is used as a way to keep this woman in the system...forever and forever....maybe even so much that they have been tracking her entire family for it for the last 22years...we don't know...and that is really bothersome because this story makes it appear we are being hunted by law enforcement, not protected, HUNTED for CASH by law enforcement!!!

2 points:

1) 2 all who R saying: She was 18; Just a kid; Let it go......

Since when is an 18 year old considered a "kid"? 18 year olds R ADULTS. Ask ANY soldier.

2) She was convicted & ordered to pay court costs.

She knew that she didn't pay her fine. Only an idiot would think that it would go away.

No sympathy here.

CreekDog I can see that it must be difficult for anything to go over your head since it's stuck in your ass...I don't go through life trying to "get friends"..So in YOUR eyes just say fukk it if you owe fees right? I mean damn it's not YOUR fault you owe them right?? And you call me clueless huh?? Makes one wonder what type of people YOU hang around with?? Ooh..The lawless ones..The ones that say "To hell with laws! We're too special to abide by them. Plus I'm just too cool"... They won't extradite her...She'll either come up with 85.00+ interest or not..But hey it's cool to know it'll cost over 10,000 to deal with it...And seeing that she went on a cruise, 85.00 shouldn't be to hard to come by..I'm guessing you're the type of "guy" that charges stuff and then cries when he has to pay it back?

Heh heh...

It still went over your head. Who paid to keep her in jail for four days, 24 hr watch, feed her etc...? It doesn't cost the same as a residential neighborhood.

Also, you have one foul mouth and attitude dude.. I mean, I read a lot of your posts in the past and you definitely are one of those guys who gets off on putting peoples opinions down. Not to mention you calling them names etc.... You have to expect that from a 44 yr old.

You're a waste of everyones time just as I wasted mine but, I sometimes try to help people that need it such as yourself however, if we were in the same room, I'd beat the piss out of you for your first sentence.

Who paid to keep her in jail for four days, 24 hr watch, feed her etc...?

The fee she owed was court cost. I suspect she will be liable for the cost of enforcement. Just like when you owe someone and they tack on late fees, collection fees and interest. I could be wrong but I bet she has quite the bill for an $85 fee. I think people are reading too much into this. It most likely said on the notices 22 years ago failure to pay will result in a bench warrant. The bench warrant was produced and forgotten about but that doesn't make it disappear on either side. A warrant is a warrant and a cop doesn't say hey this is not a big deal so I wont do my job. I don't think anyone reasonable would want her to be arrested but she experienced some incredible bad luck mostly in her own making.

@ JS in SD

Last time I checked, BENCH warrants are NOT enforceable beyond state lines. This would have had to have been a charge from Florida it's self. Indeed, when you read the story it said she is waiting in jail because it happened in an other county. It was vary clear that it was an other county and not an other state.

BTW, I should note that I really do not feel sorry for this woman. This is how they enforce support orders. Most jurisdictions have now realized they can use the vary same tactics they use on "dead beats" on anyone else who owes other civil fines.. Right down to parking tickets.. Now that this is getting applied to common people, citizens are crying and moaning.

Welcome back to debtors prisons.. Did you people really think they where going to stop with " dead beats " ?

Plain and simple. The minute they started putting anyone in jail for any type of debt ( excluding fraud ) it was natural that they would expand it to many forms of debt. I am all for punishing people who do not do what they should, but I doubt any of you are ready to go to jail for money.. It is good that people do now, because that is what that hard butt attitude by society has created.

Bring on the debtors prisons. None should be let to walk the street when they own money.. Right?

Well ain't that the pot calling the kettle creekdog...I'm glad you took the time to go back and read my prior posts..Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...You obviously missed the point of most of them...And telling me I have a foul mouth?? Really?? That's what you stooped down to? I'm honored you'd try to take me under your wing...And at last the internetz muscles come out...I mean what person threatens another online?? Did your chest puff out as you typed it? Did your palms get clammy thinking about how tough you are?? See that's the difference between me and you..I don't have to make idle threats to feel good about myself. Please don't cyberhurt me you big tough meanie.....

The Brevard County Jail won't let her post bail because it's a charge from a different county and she has to be transferred there. Yet with the long holiday weekend that might not be until Thursday.

Last I checked JDinSD, counties are in the same state. How's that crow tasting for you?

Rob,

One thing I will say, you're funny. I actually laughed.

Later...

Glad I could make you smile creek...Now go make me a sandwich....

Be right back...... Oh, mayo?!

Miracle whip....

they are morons probably high fived

Why do you need to send her $85? If she can afford a Disney cruise, she sure can afford an $85 fine. Her, or the person who paid for her. Something is missing from this story (and the brains of the police is not what I'm talking about)....why has no one locally come up with the money?

Perfectly stated. Thank you. When the letter of thee law is brought to bear, like a machine that can not be halted, you get these results in this case; Estimated cost of incarceration in county jail is 50 per day, minimum. Man hours wasted using two cops to do the apprehension and the subsequent paperwork, 150. She will be transported at Connecticut state expense, so assuming airfare - no lead time on flight reservation, 600, or busfare, 200, or any road vehicle alternative (prison bus) 250. County jail costs in Connecticut - if she does not bail out - another 50 minimum per day. Court and attorney cost on prosecutors side, if anything but a simple fine payment window transaction, several hundred. Damage to her career - unknown, but surely not going to be overlooked.

She can't pay the fine in that county. Once you have a warrant you have to appear in court in the county that issued the warrant. It sounds like she had to be transferred back to Connecticut to appear in court.

thom, if she had 22 years and didn't pay what makes you think the money had anything to do with her not paying? send her money by all means though, just don't be surprised if the fine remains unpaid after you do.

If they waited another day they could have saved some money, She was already headed that way, they had her address, they could have simply went to her house and talked to her. its a shame that the Tax payers have to put the money up front to support stupid actions, now she will get fined again I wonder what that fine will be with new Penalties and interest plus more court cost and you know they will tack on some for additional legal expenses and there will be lawyers, oh yes prosecutors and defence the system has another Family to destroy for profit its business that's how one class in this country makes their money, Judge equals extortionist, Police equals agent of the judge its big crime made legal funded by its victims to reap from those same people that fund it what a set up, I can go on all day on this subject, now do you want to buy some protection? simple give a crook a steady paycheck and you are part way their just keep a low profile. By the crook a new car give him/her some free gas, let them carry a gun, and show them more respect then anyone else and what do you have, a uniformed soldier that works for the Extortionist that you support in the hopes that they will never get your number and suck you into a endless nightmare of being a victim in their system, and rest assured they will let the real criminals go, they want the working persons money, crooks don't pay well, working people do. this s#it happens all the time I'm surprised this time it made the news. the legal system is organised crime the only thing more perfected is Politics lawyers control that too. stop supporting your local school of thieves. places like Harvard, Yale, Notre Dame, Gonzaga and many others they are out to get you. the only thing saving you is most of them are busy stealing from each other and the public in general to mess with small potatoes like us individually, there is another organization for that.

IT's called abuse of authority. We all know it. Is about the money of the court costs...nothing else. They do not care for WALMART's justice at this point. Think again.

OH but they are so almighty...typical

The 22-year-old crime followed the Connecticut native to Port Canaveral, Florida Thursday where she, her husband and two kids were wrapping up a vacation.

Seems as if she can take this cruise, she could be able to pay the 85 dollars she owes. When she was caught shoplifting, went to court and was ordered to pay the 85, she should have made that a priority.

She brought this all on herself, and I have zero sympathy for her. She's an adult, and she needs to be responsible and accountable for her actions. Shoplifting is a crime. You break the law, expect the law to catch up with you sooner or, as in this case, later.

@thom, if the women was African American would you feel the same way? If she was African American should she not pay her debt to society?

RACE CARD!!!! Flip the board and start the game over, LMAO!

We wink at illegal aliens who are clearly breaking the law, we have a President that is ok with breaking the laws of the Constitution - the highest law of the land (and those just the tip of the iceberg) but we destroy someone over a cigarette theft 18 years ago? Fine her for her offense and move on.

This story is the worst management of a court system as I've heard (lately). They could have let her husband pay the $85.00 after they took her to jail, but they want to add more money to the fine. The girl was 18 for Gods sake! She's 40 now!...I hope her employer sees what idiots this court system has and it doesn't jeopardize her job. She may have to use vacation time, probably sick time, I know she's sick, but for them to say she won't get to court till thursday? How much time do they get off for MLK day? That's what they need the money for. They have to pay officers to work overtime (a week) for one holiday. Poor kids, having a good time then something like this happens. But you know what goes around comes around....

LMFAO....Too good.

Border Patrol at it's finest.

I was held at the same port off a cruise from the Bahama's for 3 hours due to the fact that I had the same name as someone used as an alias, and fit the description of him. They took my prints, photographed me and sent that off to Washington. 3 hours later...I was let loose.

Don't even try and joke with these guys they take their jobs way to seriously.

That poor woman! I think she has learned her lessons in life and this is not the way you want your children to see you! Sheesh... being hulled off to jail.

Are people not told that there is a warrant out for their arrest? Not sure how that all works?! Another thing is-- I think Wall-Mart has enough poor peoples money any way!!

this is one small flake in a massive bowl of imprisonment/abuse/harassment of unpaid debt/fees

Companies like Judicial Correction Services saw an opportunity. They charge public authorities nothing and make their money by adding fees onto the bills of the defendants.

Stephen B. Bright, president of the Southern Center for Human Rights, who teaches at Yale Law School, said courts were increasingly using fees "for such things as the retirement funds for various court officials, law enforcement functions such as police training and crime laboratories, victim assistance programs and even the court's computer system." He added, "In one county in Pennsylvania, 26 different fees totaling $2,500 are assessed in addition to the fine."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/us/probation-fees-multiply-as-companies-profit.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

PRIVATE BUSINESS -ready and willing to "beat" money out of the American public

What We Provide

Court and community satisfaction is
greatly related to our local-level involvement, case management, and programs.

For
every jurisdiction we offer complete a probation solution for the following
areas:

• Initial intake
  – Probation officials in the court room for every offender
• Detailed Records-
  Supervision of a case is completely transparent and everything we record
  can be viewed by the courts and judges as well.
• Basic Supervision
  – Reporting at least once a month, in person or by mail.
• Intensive Supervision
  – Weekly reporting with additional sanctions.
• Electronic Monitoring
  – Monitors curfews via voice recognition, radio frequency, alcohol
  consumption, and GPS positioning
• Random Drug Screening
  – On site instant testing with lab confirmation available.
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Groups and Classes

http://www.judicialservices.com/what-we-provide/

DID I MENTION THIS IS A non-government agency?

"She was only 18"

Yeah - SO! She was 18 which means she was an adult; which means she has had 22 years to pay her fine; which means she has the means to pay her own fine; which means she CHOSE to ignore the fine.

Who wants to bet that she was given ample time and opportunity to pay her fine? Of course telling that side of the story wouldn't fit in with the agenda of how a woman has been "picked on" for such a minor offense committed over two decades ago.

"...may have to use vacation time, probably sick time..."

And you'll be back next week when she gets fired for sick leave abuse - break the law on your own time.

What part of this doesn't she deserve?

She was caught and she was convicted, and she failed to make restitution so now she gets to suffer the consequences for her inaction.

Should we make laws and then attach an addendum to them that clearly states that it won't apply to you if . . . ? That's just stupid. She had 20+ years to clear it up and she didn't do it, so now they'll force her to.

Soo maybe people think she got justice here. I can see no one here has ever forgotten anything. The problem with the courts and things like this, is they only ever send you one notice and god forbid you forget about it. This should not have resolved to "Warrant for her arrest". The bill should have gone to collections, then when she applied for any type of loan, it would have shown up. Sorry, but I agree with the people think that this was just overkill for the justice system. $85 for an 18 year old is a lot of money, have you all forgot what it was like when you were 18 or even what it was like in 1991. We wonder why our taxes are going up, this is exactly why, becuase the money they get is not use correctly!!!!

It used to be that the Statute of Limitations expired after seven years but my guess is that somebody was hard-up for money.

Frankly, if it had happened to me, when I get back to Connecticut, I call my $500/hour attorney and make them pay 500 or 1000 times as much in damages too!

Mark Moore: She didn't forget, Mark, she simply ignored her obligation to make restitution as ordered by the court and she's getting exactly what she deserves.

When I was in the Marine Corps stationed in CA, I got a speeding ticket right before I was being transferred overseas. So what did I do? I ignored the ticket and left. However, when I returned stateside three years later, I was out in town and upon seeing a cop parked outside a donut shop (no lie), I walked up to him, gave him my driver's license and asked him to check if I had an outstanding warrant. He confirmed I did and instead of arresting me, he told me to get it taken care of as quickly as possible, which I did that week.

She didn't forget, she just ignored it. She deserves exactly what she got, just as I would have deserved the same if that cop had pulled me over rather than me approaching him.

A simple message to Ct. will undoubtedly have them response with a refusal to extradite on such a small matter. At that point she would be released. Over the weekend with a holiday no one is in the courts to make that decision.

Now she knows that these things don't go away.

And one more story about, they walk among us. So I wonder how much interest, penalty and court costs this moron managed to rack up. Would be very interesting for the courts to also run her SS# to see if she also chose not to pay her student loans. When you make the wrong decision free will is a bitch.

If she will default on court costs who would actually trust her with a student loan unless she lied to get funding for her education.

The state of Connecticutt could easily fix this in a heartbeat by dropping the charges. Why would they just let this woman, who it would seem has led a good life, sit in a Florida jail over something so trivial she did as a teenager? I don't care if 18 is the legal age of adulthood, I have never trusted any 18 year old of mine anymore than when they were still 17. I only remind them that anything they now do they will be treated as an adult so they had better stay out of trouble. If she had been 17 there wouldn't have been any warrant and I'm sure her parents would have taken care of a fine like that. Just beggers believe they actually lock people up for something so trivial. No wonder they can't find the real terrorists, they are too busy tracking down petty shoplifters more than 2 decades after the incident.

Marie....so it is OK that she walked on a fine 20 years ago and she should just get to walk now...no way. I would love to see this play out....again check for student loan and other financial defaults. Her employer should take a good look at her application to see if she lied to get the job. Perhaps they should check her professional credentials to see of they are real.

I wonder if she raises her children to lie and default on obligations when convenient?

They must have had her social because I doubt she was married at 18 when this happened, and her name has changed, her address, everything, but her SS number. I'm not sure why they would be checking the social of everyone on the boat as they got off, but that sounds fishy to me. Did they find the desperate terrorist they were looking for or just this poor woman with an ancient, nothing warrant?

I would hope that there were no terrorists to find. It does seem that they found a deadbeat and that deadbeat is being held accountable. Time to turn over a few stones and see what else they find. I would believe they have cause.

My mother was bilked out of 50k (she had early alzheimers) and the cops said "not our problem, sue the thief in civil court." Then my father received death threats by my niece's crazy boyfriend (while he was on parole of course) and the cops said "it's only heresay." Someone used my ATM card and they said "the bank doesn't want to press charges (there was video), so forget about it." Unless you owe them money, CT cops don't want to be bothered.

I agree she did something wrong and needs to ay the fine. But for God's sake, this is a priority? People who kill are given less priority than this. All things relevant.

Unreal! That's my comment about you people who are determined to make a federal case over a 22 year old fine for $85 dollars. There was a better way to handle this situation than what actually occurred here. If you can't understand that then there is no hope for you. You obviously suffer from the same imbalance that the school officials who suspended the 6 yr. old girl for 10 days because she threatened to 'shoot' her friend with her soap bubble gun - which she didn't even have with her. There needs to be a different place for all you people to live - away from the rest of us! Stupid cannot be fixed, please, all of you get together with each other and get away from the rest of us!

Dang, Paul, jump back on those meds, buddy. You're difficult to deal with and very hateful when you're off of them.

Do you know what is involved in a background check, Tranman? When they check the passenger list, what would they be looking for besides arrest records and immigration records.

If you have an outstanding warrant, it's going to pop up like a cork in water.

That's all.

going back to hitler days fast

Good luck getting all of those rights given up for security back.

dirp - read it again. It's court costs. Some clerk let her go without paying. It's not a fine; it's bookkeeping

Since when did CRIMINALS have the right to not pay for their crimes?

Yes and let the punishment fit the crime. Four days in jail seems excessive for $85 in unpaid court costs don't you think? Also the statute of limitations should have run out on this years ago.

It's disturbing that she showed up on a terrorism watch list. This is what we get we trade our rights for a false sense of security.

A criminal? Really? What are we calling a crime? I hope this woman sues the municipality for millions. This is a waste of time and energy. i am so sorry for this girl and her family. This is incredibly traumatic for all of them all. My condolences to all concerned.

Meg, please, this has already cost us as taxpayers enough, to attempt to collect $85 in 22-year-old court costs. You think having all of us pay millions more for her mistake is going to fix anything?

no, four days doesn't seem like alot for an 85 dollar ticket when the police can SAY you committed a crime and legally lock you up for the same amount of time before you ever get to see a judge. hell, they can hold you for 3 days without ever charging you with anything, not to mention things like guantanamo bay where if you're suspected of something they can keep you indefinitely. four WHOLE days? big frigging deal.

Letter of the Law?
No benefit of doubt for folks....
Nor professionally handling of people with respect, letting them linger in jail over a petty amount.
How much did it cost to allow her to reside in jail?
Who is paying for such cost for this ridiculous hospitality of Florida?
Shame on the Connecticut courts for not sending her notifications...or finding earlier detections of her to notify her of her infractions, shortcomings?
Does she not pay taxes and such? Does she not have a driver license?
Why could they not detect her until she took a cruise with her family humiliating her and her family?
Why are our law enforcements used as henchmen?
Is there not a law on in the books of Connecticut for time limit for such charges if they fail to follow up on the charges themselves, especially after all of these years?
We all forget at times, maybe she did pay the court costs and the court "forgot" to RECORD the transaction...
Like someone wrote before that one must pay the court cost before they are allowed to leave the building.
It was probably a clerical error if that is true.
Somebody got some explaining to do in the Connecticut court system.
This isn't just about Florida Law Enforcement lack in discretion.

1. They said they found out that she had a warrant after they checked the passenger list for terrorists.

*They did not say that they did this check AFTER the ship had returned only that they were

waiting for her as she left the boat

2. I agree that this could perhaps have been handled better however, after you've had them wait 22yrs

for $85, I don't think they care much about you waiting 4 days in jail.

3. 911 changed everything.

If they checked the list for terrorists before the cruise, why did they let her board? She has a warrant for her arrest, but lets let her enjoy her vacation first. If they checked before the date the cruise started (say like a week in advance-any last minute passengers could be checked out separately as they purchase their tickets), they could have taken care of this very easily before she left her home/state-she could have just popped down/been escorted to wherever fees are paid and taken care of it, then left for the cruise. If they checked for terrorists during the cruise-isn't that a little late to be checking? After they're already on board-wouldn't the point be to prevent boarding? The fact that they were waiting for her somewhat suggests that the check occurred either too shortly before the ship left the dock to do anything about any suspicious passengers or the list, or at some point during the cruise.

The system will make plenty of money on this, it should be a crime but things like this will continue, there are people running all over this country with warrants and don't even know it till it pops up on them. its business they are making money from all angles, angles you don't even know exist. not to mention the kickbacks and investments they make in the facilities that the judge can order you to such as Mental health clinics, Rehab facilities its a big set up, a judge can order you to a clinic that he is part owner for a evaluation that may cost you or the tax payers big bucks and then court order you to extended care at that facility for a year or two costing everyone in Taxes, Insurance or some way costing everyone so long as the money flows if the criminal or the courts victim has no money or alternate method of payment then they are released, that will change now with Obama care now everyone can be milked constantly and we can fill every empty bed in the state hospital. yes with the new mental health in America we can lock up allot more people. More money to the upper class legal people and politicians. they are the ones that have been investing in this phony Mental health game big money to be skimmed from the public just like harvesting the wool. Hahahahahahaha!! its as bad as Rockefeller's pill pushing game everyone is buying into it. I will sell you this pill that is supposed to help you it cost $90.00 its side effects might kill you but without it you might die, and there is a possibility that it wont do you any good you need a thirty day supply take three times a day that will be $8,100 please, call me when you need a refill, oh! you don't have insurance well in that case take two aspirins and call me in a few days to let me know how you feel, next. it cost me $300.00 to get a Bayer aspirin from a hospital, Obama can make helthcare affordable by removing the crooks. instead he is going to help them. Beware of to much Government, our forefathers tried to protect us from that but in their time they didn't have liberals to undo all the good and dump a load of Government on us. its all relative isn't it. now you have it its all about the money and who gets it.

It is a Florida warrant - orange county. She lives in CT. Finally got caught because she returned to FL.

She got caught because Disney was checking for terrorists on the ship roster. This had nothing to do with returning to Fla. The report called her a CT native. This stupidity could happen to anyone who did something stupid as a younger person and just thought it was forgotten about.

It's amazing that there are so many people that haven't a clue. There are no separate lists of criminals - speeders, shoplifters, murderers, rapists, etc. There is a list of all outstanding wants and warrants in the database. Fortunately for her, she has the opportunity to get it cleared up. Unfortunately for her family they have to hang around while mom gets her act together.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and bet that there are others out there in MSNBC-land that are now looking over their shoulders or contacting the local police station about their own lives. I'll also go out on that same limb and bet her husband and kids take care of their fines in a more timely fashion.

Of course NBCSnooze is minimizing the fact that there are other issues associated with the "$85 fine". There are things such as warrant charges, increased penalties, etc. The $85 fine was if she paid when due - not when she finally got caught.

Don't blame Connecticut, they never bothered her in the past 21 years, it was Florida that decided to get her.

Just a token of my appreciation to the officers...I from the bottom of my heart wish them prostate cancer...and hopefully their children will get caught doing the same crime. OH Yes, it always comes around.

She demonstrated that she hasn't been trustworthy enough to pay for the past 22 years; do you think a letter with a "pretty please" note inside would have been more effectual?

...hopefully their children will get caught doing the same crime. OH Yes, it always comes around.

A law enforcement officer doing his/her job makes their kids turn into criminals?

IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN!

sheesh...

just wanted to add to the scope of the issue: imprisonment over debt/fines:

In a 2010 study, the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law examined the fee structure in the 15 states — including California, Florida and Texas — with the largest prison populations. It asserted: “Many states are imposing new and often onerous ‘user fees’ on individuals with criminal convictions. Yet far from being easy money, these fees impose severe — and often hidden — costs on communities, taxpayers and indigent people convicted of crimes. They create new paths to prison for those unable to pay their debts and make it harder to find employment and housing as well as to meet child support obligations.”

Most of those fees are for felonies and do not involve private probation companies, which have so far been limited to chasing those guilty of misdemeanors. A decade or two ago, many states abandoned pursuing misdemeanor fees because it was time-consuming and costly. Companies like Judicial Correction Services saw an opportunity. They charge public authorities nothing and make their money by adding fees onto the bills of the defendants.

Stephen B. Bright, president of the Southern Center for Human Rights, who teaches at Yale Law School, said courts were increasingly using fees “for such things as the retirement funds for various court officials, law enforcement functions such as police training and crime laboratories, victim assistance programs and even the court’s computer system.” He added, “In one county in Pennsylvania, 26 different fees totaling $2,500 are assessed in addition to the fine.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/us/probation-fees-multiply-as-companies-profit.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

That's a pretty big assumption. In fact, you are absolutely wrong about it. I have an unpaid ticket in Florida. I have called to try to find out how much to send them and nobody can tell me the amount or where to send it. I've called both the county and the state, BTW.

What is obvious is that this loser was a thief at 18 and through all these years has known about her fine but CHOSE to ignore it and shirk the responsibility of paying it just like she ignored the rule of paying for what you want. Glad she got bit in the @ss by the wheels of justice for they surely turn aldeit somewhat slowly and in this case when it is the most embarrasing. Beetch got just what she had coming!

Be careful Bad Bob, knowing Florida they probably have a couple of officers waiting for you at the state line!

Bad Bob,

It is your responsibility to contact the COUNTY where you owe your ticket and because you neglected to pay in a timely manner you must show up to pay in person. That is if you have the balls to show up.

Southern Gent, You have no idea what the circumstances are. why the Bitch had it coming remark?. I had a ticket for overdue registration in Florida, on a Rental Car. I came out from a funeral to find a ticket on the windshield 9 years ago. The rental place said they would take care of it. But i got a notice sent to me at my home from Florida 8 years ago. Then rental company has no record of this suddenly, and I received a notice to appear in person in Florida like 8 years ago. I guess I am a criminal and have it coming too? you don't know the situation of this woman. why the "Bitch had it coming comment". you must live some sheltered life to not know how the system works.

last summer when I was going back to Florida, I tried once again getting this straightened out. Now the Police say they have no records of this. but I am sure if I get stopped for whatever reason my name will pop up on some terrorists list no doubt! and to top it off Florida has a 30 day grace period for overdue registration I found out. so I should not have been been issued a Ticket in the first place! it was only 19 days overdue i found out afterwards. and someone else told me car rental places don't do regular registration like the rest of us. (no clue) point is, perhaps this lady has extenuating circumstances which you do not know about.

I was pulled over on warrant for not paying city income taxes. I was driving my kids home from school. Luckily I knew the police officer who called the city and asked if he could just verbally give me a court date. He did, and I went to court with all my papers showing I had paid my taxes. Because my house was solely in my name a warrant was issued for me because my ex-HUSBAND did not pay his taxes. The court waived some fines but I still paid his taxes. Not all people that have warrants know they have warrants.

Mom2Five: That'll teach you to not marry the wrong guy.

Lol, I did it again. Never getting married again! Much happier just being on my own with my wonderful kids. Dating yes, serious relationship NO!

Bad Bob....been there ....done that.

My wife had a ticket for making a turn from the lane. The State of Florida notified the State of NY about the ticket. After a couple of weeks went by my wife finished all the things with the court. Somewhere in the shuffle either Florida didn't notify NY that the ticket was taken care of, or NY didn't correct the system to show that my wife had taken care of it. So....my wife is driving home from work and the Troopers had just starting the system that reads your license plates to see if you have any thing wrong. The computer said my wife's license was suspended, with no explanation for it. My wife has to get someone to come and get her and her car. We start asking why this happened and they tell her she didn't satisfy a ticket in Orlando ,FL. She tries explaining that she did, shows them papers from the Post Office showing where they received mail for it, ect. NY DMV isn't interested, they need Florida to tell them it's taken care of. She calls Florida and they tell her ....yes, you satisfied your ticket XX months ago. My wife asks them to tell that to NY. They said NO....we already notified them, we're not doing it again! After a lot of messing around, I had to hire a courier to go to the court, Then go to the Florida DMV, pay to have the records copied, fax them to me, and then I had to deal with the DMV in NY. I don't know why Florida couldn't just notify NY to eliminate all the BS.

If it was up to me, I'd never set foot in the State of Florida again. I never was able to find out why my wife's license was suspended and it cost me hundreds of dollars to fix something the government caused.

I can feel your pain on this subject!

A couple of years ago I got in the mail a 20.00 parking ticket with my name, and mailed to my address, but the ticket itself had the wrong gender, eye color, height, weight, address, license number... not a thing on there was "me" except for the name. And it was from a town I hadn't been in at the time, although my father in law does live there. It took me a week of constant calling to speak to the officer on the ticket, which is what I was told I had to do. He by that time had taken the time and resources to find my link to his town...my father-in-law...and even though I told him I hadn't been in his town for many months, he still insisted I owed the money and "must have been there". As for the rest of the ticket, he said it was a glitch in the system that printed the ticket wrong. But of course not a glitch that I got the ticket in the first place. By this time I owed more money because it took him so long to get back to me I missed the deadline, but he "graciously" said I could just pay the 20.00 fine. Sadly, I did end up paying it, because this town is hours away and it would have taken me a lot more time and money to show up at court. But I keep every bit of paper associated with the whole thing in my glove box, because I have a feeling it's still going to show up to bite me in the butt again sometime. There's probably a warrant out for me for not paying my whole fine. :/ Yeah, this woman should have paid the fine, but how do we know she even knew it was still out there? Most 18 year olds aren't really responsible about things like that, and who among us can remember whether or not we payed that overdue fee to Blockbuster 22 years ago? This is a fine example of our government protecting us and our assets. lol

A similar thing happened to a friend of mine a year or two ago. She got a speeding ticket while she was driving through Tennessee. She paid it-didn't try to fight in court or anything, just paid it no questions asked. Several months later, when she was back at school in Illinois, she gets notification from Kentucky (where she's from) that there's a warrant out for her arrest, and if she is caught driving, it would be straight to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200 (which is kind of a big deal for her, as she has some difficulty walking, so for her, walking across campus to class was kind of out of the picture). So she calls Tennessee- they tell her everything's cool from their end-she fulfilled her obligation, no warrant necessary. The story has a happy ending-they did finally inform Kentucky that she paid, and the warrant was dropped.

So I could certainly see how errors could arise with fees-how there could be no notifications sent, or fees could be paid, but have no record of being paid, or never issuing her bill in the first place as she left court as an 18 year old.

johnnyt - I can relate. Things could be worse - I know. Not trying to "one up" your wife but I have had issues of a very similar type. However, the worst is ALABAMA. There was an issue between a ticket paid in NV while I had an AL license. NV screwed up and I got them to send a note to AL but AL refused to waive the fees. I had to re-instated the suspended, expired license for them to remove the suspension. I had to pay to have a suspension lifted in one state because of a clerical mistake in another state even after the "mistaken" state admitted it had screwed up.

Bad Bob I have called to try to find out how much to send them and nobody can tell me the amount or where to send it.

I had the same problem. I left Fl and came back 10 years later and when I tried to get my drivers license they pulled the actual copy of the ticket I signed and said first things first.

While, I cannot understand the lack of priority in law enforcement. Apparently more important to get the fine for a speeder rather than the real terrorist or murderer. Where have we been and where are we going? And with the records so stewed up, it s even worse.

Statute of limitations????

You can't arrest an armed robber after this amount of time.

WOW!!

I guess its true that smoking eventually catches up with you.

I have to seriously question a system that puts a young Ghetto Kid in prison for three years for stealing a TV and gives the White Collar Criminal a few months in a Country Club Prison for stealing BILLIONS.

Or politicians that never go to jail except for tax evasion but then they get pardoned.

yeah, lets waste resources on a terrible MISDEMEANOR crime while Florida has election fraud, crack cocaine and high rates of rape, murder, car theft.......wow, I vote that we sell Florida to Mexico! Great priorities! Re-elect that governor.

Amazing that an $85 warrant is still enforced after 22 years and yet some states have 10 year statute of limitations on serious crimes like rape. Another fine example of wasted taxpayer resources.

IMHO, get your head out of your butt. Like you've never done something unlawful in your whole hypocritical life. She DID turn her life around and you want to jail someone who stole a pack of cigarettes 22 years ago?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Wow, you must be a real winner.

@IMHO:

Right after I got my drivers license, I got a speeding ticket in Indiana. I mailed them a personal check to the address that was on the ticket. I got my check back saying they didn't take personal checks.

I never sent them anything after that, kept both the check and their letter in case I would later need it. I've renewed my license twice since then, and no problems. If that red state wants their money, they are going to have a lot of explaining to do, as I tried to pay it.

And courts recognize that personal checks are valid payments. I also have my banking statement from that month/yr to show I had the money to back the check. So far as I am concerned, I tried to do the right thing, and they wouldn't let me pay them. So they can go screw themselves .

"And courts recognize that personal checks are valid payments" So sorry SallyAnn, personal checks may be valid payments, but no one is required to take a personal check from you honey, not even the courts, regardless of your balance. So when you get pullled over, and whip out your personal check to show them, they will say "that's nice, please turn around and put your hands behind your back", at that point you should politely explain to them that they can go screw themselves. Good luck with your defense, and I am sure we will be reading your story in the near future and making stupid comments too!

IMHO.....what was the crime, again?

I'm betting you don't even know what the story is about...just reading the headline will do these kinds of things to you.

She DID turn her life around...

But she NEVER paid her debt to society.

SallyAnn - Good luck with that approach. When you get caught in another state (like this woman) are you going to have you file cabinet full of papers in your purse? The cops won't care what you have for documentation "back home" - they care about what the warrant says. Trust me - I know. You will get to explain it to the judge of where you get caught. Make sure somebody back home has the ability to fax your supporting documents to the court.

I'll give you a little hint. The easier approach is to send a letter to the JUDGE of the court (via registered mail) in which you got busted and explain it to him/her. Ask him/her for documentation after it is resolved (paid/vacated/dismissed/etc). Then go to your home state DPS office and they can tell you if it is cleared.

So they can go screw themselves.

Trust me - it won't be themselves they screw! Hopefully you'll enjoy being had by strangers - with your attitude.

@PARENT, outside of murder, isn't the statue of limitation only 7 years? Maybe someone can clairfy this. 22 yrs later is a long time for a civil warrent.

Sallyann, its different for every state. Wyoming has no statute of limitations on any crime. i have 3 misdemeanor tickets in Florida and i just avoid Florida. If the state of Florida wants any money from me they can come and get it.......

Kevin: don't worry, now that you have used Fakebook to post, THEY know exactly where you are.

Step away from the keyboard, keeping your hands visible at all times, place your hands directly on top of your head and kneel.

morons

Applies to crimes that "you got away with" - not ones where you were found guilty.

I'm sure if this was a very dangerous gang member they will look the other way. But is a woman...mother and spouse. SO now they are the Big police...how manly... real stand-up guys! this is the ultimate cosmic joke...

Reason why, I will see them bleeding shot in the street, and I will keep on walking, won't even move a finger to dial 911 on their behalf. They do not deserve it. They are playing with the Tax Payers money. They should be the ones punished.

Yes the statue of limitations apply...but then again is all about the petty power.

Nope. As wrong as it is to us that have common sense and compassion - by the law - it is not wrong. Stupid, petty - yes - wrong - nope.

Your moniker strikes me as a misnomer, Draconian. Hardly harsh and unforgiving, rather Solomonian in your judicial wisdom. You could represent me any time I run afoul of the law. . .

well said , i say 4 days in jail is time served most courts give you 100 dollars a day credit for unpaid fines , looks like they owe her 300 dollars lol.

to bad they didnt catch themselves in all of their dirty work they just dont seem so zelous in that department

In some states, a warrant never expires, until you are brought into court.

Once a warrant is issued, the police have no choice, they must arrest you (you have already proven to be a flight risk.)

If you have ever done anything, or intend to take a trip where you might be subject to a background check, have one done on yourself and clear up any issues. Save yourself some embarrassment from having your ugly mug posted on the internet.

They are so manly and Oh so strong...real joke if you ask me...enforce against a mother, spouse woman. Geez, really??? Reason why I will never help police or donate or have sympathy for them. They can all have prostate cancer for all I care.

they turn their back on crimes of their brothers no problems there

It would've prevented alot of repetitious posts if yours was the 1st comment of the day.

Thanks for the explain.

Not totally correct. This warrant was for a misdemeanor offense. Because it was from another state, the offense would have to be one that can lead to extradition. No state will extradite on this warrant. Extradition involves sending officers to the arresting state and transporting the offender to the state that issued the warrant. The cost alone would make this arrest worthless. As one who has done an extradition, I can tell you that my department would not have arrested this person. As an example, Florida arrested singer R Kelly on a warrant. They had to release him for similar reasons. No state will pay for this extradition!!

The warrant was from Orange County, FL, not from Connecticut.

So...let me see if I've got this straight......

A woman that lives in Connecticut, probably has a drivers license, pays taxes, has a job there, has children that probably were born there, and maybe go to school there, is so invisible in that State that she has to be brought to justice while disembarking from a cruise ship in Florida because an 18 year old unpaid $85 court fee turns up while they are looking for Terrorists?

Then....you've gotta just love the ones who seemingly don't believe that her treatment wasn't severe enough.

The Founders must be rolling over in their graves at this stuff!!

Renee....how do you know that? I was wondering if wasn't something like that, but didn't know.

At first I thought the Warrant was from CT. Then, I thought about it and wondered if the Warrant was from Fl. and maybe she moved out of state.

Local FL. news has better detail. Ths acticle does read poorly.

johnnyt

Try google...it's like magic.

I found it on the news4jax website.

Letter to my lawyer:

18 years ago I was stopped at a road block and arrested. I served thirteen hours in Broward County jail before being bailed out. I hired a lawyer but being a poor college student I was unable to complete payment so she pleaded me guilty. I transferred back to MA where I completed community service at the Mashpee MA fire department and 4H club. In addition I completed DUI school in Falmouth MA. All of which were signed off on. I put it behind me and went on with my life finishing college and beginning a new career in IT. I have had several background checks since, including a federal check in 2005 when I took a contract position at MCI for contracted work for the USPS none of which flagged this warrant. I’m currently a senior security advisor for Verizon Business with clients such as Jetblue, Capitol One bank, Royal Bank of Scottland, Bank of America, Sage Software, Advance Auto etc. I have a wonderful life with my wife of eleven years and my two daughters ten and seven.

All things considered I would at least hope that you would put this information in front of the judge and not just assume that the judge would not even consider lessening the punishment after all of these years. Yes, it is what it is but even criminals have had reduced sentences applied due to good representation and positive efforts put forth. Not to mention the fact that I haven’t been arrested for DUI since.

And I'm sure its not over yet. They'll bill her for

-the 4 days in jail

-transferring her case to the original court

-late charges, disposition fees, municipal fees

Its a racket.

Pay-to-Play my Friends.

I crossed out the South from being anyplace I would go for vacation or any other reason years ago when I got stopped by a cop dressed like a frigging nazi, jackboots and all (no, not a motorcycle cop). The only thing different was the uniform color and badge, but the uniform pattern itself was something dreamed up by goose stepping nazis. That was enough for me to say "fvck the South!" and not bother to return except once in the past 30 years- to see my father who had moved to Florida. So I'm really not that suprised they left her warrant outstanding for 22 years for stealing some damned smokes when she was 18.

I also can sympathize with her because my state once sent me a letter saying I had an outstanding warrant for something like 'driving while license suspended' from several years before. So I went to face the music. I went to court and waited as they did everyone else, then I was called. The court couldn't find my paperwork and then handed the judge a single sheet of paper in a folder. My offense had happened so long before that that I couldn't even remember it and I told the judge so, adding that I had quit driving because of my disability several years before. The judge asked me how I thought we should handle this and I told him "Drop this and let me go. I don't drive anymore and I can't even recall this incident.". So the judge dropped it and let me go. Thank the gods I didn't use a public defender. He/she would have mucked it up and asked for a fine. As it was, my "record" of a single sheet of paper got torn up and the folder sent to be re-used. It pays to keep one's nose so clean that the State can't find its own records. Hopefully this lady will walk out of court with her own record torn up. Jeez, a pack of smokes 22 years ago- outrageous!

Geebus-THANK GOD! We don't need anymore old geezers (or geebus's, Merlins etc. either) down here, driving slow in the left lane with their right turn blinker on. Please look elsewhere to retire (I hear Chicago is nice!), as Florida has gotten way too expensive due to excessive "Carpet baggers" who keep coming down here and buying beer can homes. By the way, we also have the worst Governor in the entire country (We're #1), which really makes it a pleasant place to live, and we tax newcomers extra heavy to pay for all the extra roads they need.

Homeland Security checking all the passengers.

"Act like" ?

merlin, I believe Mass. cops look like nazis as well. Much better to be stopped in Connecticut where the cops look nice in their Smokey Bear hats but the fines are rediculous so be carefull.