kylethejones
Junior Member
A little over two years ago (I was 19 at the time), I was charged with a DUI in Missouri. I plead guilty and was placed on probation until I completed two court-mandated classes. One was a two-hour long victim impact panel, and the other was a weekend long SATOP program. I was told that after completing both classes and paying off all of my fines, my probation period would end. I completed the victim impact panel and showed my certificate of completion to the court, payed off my fines, and attended the SATOP class within the prescribed amount of time. At the end of the SATOP course, I asked one of the instructors if I would need to show proof of completion of the course in court and I was assured that the company that hosted the course would contact the state on my behalf.
After that, I believed my legal troubles to be over. Not having a vehicle and not wanting to pay heightened car insurance, I didn't bother to re-apply for my license immediately. A few months later, I moved from Missouri to Pennsylvania to attend college. And a few months after that, while Googling myself I found out that I had a warrant in Missouri for a failure to appear. A call to the company that provided the SATOP course revealed that when I had filled out my paperwork to attend the class, I had failed to check a box that allowed the company to release my information the courts. I can only assume that this is the reason for the warrant.
I will be back in Missouri to visit my family over the summer, and I'm afraid that I will be picked up on the warrant if I am involved in a traffic stop (or otherwise have to interact with the police). The company that hosted the SATOP class still has my information on file, and they have assured me that I can pick up a printout of my certificate of completion at their offices. If I were to bring that certificate to a court, would that be sufficient to resolve my legal problems? Is there any risk that I could be taken to jail if I tried taking the certificate to court? Also, since my probation technically never ended, could I be punished for leaving the state to go to school? Technically, I did everything the courts asked of me within the timeframe they had stipulated. It was an honest mistake, but I'm nervous that this could cause serious problems for me. Would it be worthwhile to hire a lawyer before appearing in court?
Any help would be appreciated. I'm kind of panicked about going back home.
After that, I believed my legal troubles to be over. Not having a vehicle and not wanting to pay heightened car insurance, I didn't bother to re-apply for my license immediately. A few months later, I moved from Missouri to Pennsylvania to attend college. And a few months after that, while Googling myself I found out that I had a warrant in Missouri for a failure to appear. A call to the company that provided the SATOP course revealed that when I had filled out my paperwork to attend the class, I had failed to check a box that allowed the company to release my information the courts. I can only assume that this is the reason for the warrant.
I will be back in Missouri to visit my family over the summer, and I'm afraid that I will be picked up on the warrant if I am involved in a traffic stop (or otherwise have to interact with the police). The company that hosted the SATOP class still has my information on file, and they have assured me that I can pick up a printout of my certificate of completion at their offices. If I were to bring that certificate to a court, would that be sufficient to resolve my legal problems? Is there any risk that I could be taken to jail if I tried taking the certificate to court? Also, since my probation technically never ended, could I be punished for leaving the state to go to school? Technically, I did everything the courts asked of me within the timeframe they had stipulated. It was an honest mistake, but I'm nervous that this could cause serious problems for me. Would it be worthwhile to hire a lawyer before appearing in court?
Any help would be appreciated. I'm kind of panicked about going back home.