A 10 year old, unpaid traffic ticket...

A "net-less" friend asked me to check online to see if he could still get in trouble for a speeding ticket he got ten or eleven years ago in Tennessee. Apparently he just ran across it again and realized he never paid it. I've had no luck searching the Tennessee Penal Code because this doesn't seem to be addressed-at least at the sites I've been able to find.

I told him I thought there would be a statute of limitations on it but he's thinking jail-time and/or an astonomical fine because of interest on the original fine.

Mention this to your friend.

A few years ago I was on court and the case before me was for someone who had received a speeding ticket.
This person's case was called and she was not there. The judge asked if there was anyone there to represent her at the trial--no response.
She was tried "in absentia" and found guilty. The trial was handled as if she was there. The prosecutor questioned the officer and presented his case to the judge, who then asked again if she or an attorney for her was there. It was then that he rendered the guilty verdict.
I am not sure how it is in your state but in Indiana this is how it goes. The person who was being tried was from Missouri and I cannot remember if a warrant or anything else was issued after the verdict.
This may not help, but he could contact the county where he received the ticket and find out what transpired.

I'll mention it....and thank you. Don't know if it's going to make him feel better because he'd like to head south again. I doubt he will make the call...I think he's afraid he'll wind up in jail!

another real account of an upaid ticket and the devastating effects!
A married couple had no idea that a speeding ticket the husband received (prior to their marriage and had not paid) was discovered to be outstanding in another state. Before the letter from the other state, which stated his license had been suspended through his residential state, arrived in the mail, he had an accident that injured 3 people and total'd 3 vehicles--all his fault (as was not paying the ticket). They incurred almost $100,000 in debt as he was not covered by their insurance as he was driving with a suspended license.
Your friend knows where he got the ticket and knows it still needs to be paid, so I highly recommend that he contact them with money in hand and pay the ticket before he ends up owing far more than a ticket.

Kris, tell your pal to check out LexisNexis online to find the maximum penalty for an unpaid speeding ticket in Tennessee, or you could do it on his behalf since he's not online. The quicker he gets it straightened out, the better off he'll be. He can also contact the DMV (or MVA or whatever it's called in TN) to determine the exact amout he can pay to be on his way instead of speculating about the "astronomical" fines. It might not be that bad-there are bigger fish out there to fry.