Posted on 02/04/2008 3:12:24 PM PST by devane617
HARLINGEN — A woman with multiple oustanding warrants failed to appear in court Monday and in so doing may have doubled the number of warrants and fines she owes.
Valerie Ortiz Sanchez was scheduled to appear in municipal court to set up a plan to resolve more than $15,000 in delinquent fines, officials said.
Ortiz Sanchez, 31, now faces new charges for failing to appear in court about two weeks after police discovered she had 76 outstanding warrants that dated back to 1998.
“Seventy six warrants — again,” Court Administrator Cindy Weaver said after a bailiff locked the court’s doors at 6 p.m., signaling the end of the court session Monday.
As part of an agreement that led to her release from jail two weeks ago, Ortiz Sanchez promised the court she’d take care of unfinished business, Municipal Court Judge Valerie Garcia said in an interview outside the courtroom.
“She was supposed to come in, but she didn’t,” Garcia said flatly in an interview after court closed.
As part of her Jan. 15 agreement with the court, Ortiz Sanchez was scheduled to appear in court between 3 and 6 p.m. to set up a payment plan to pay her outstanding warrants, Garcia said.
Under the agreement, the court was scheduled to set pre-trial hearings on Ortiz Sanchez’s Class C misdemeanor charges of driving an uninsured car and parking in a space for handicapped drivers, Garcia said.
It wasn’t the first time Ortiz Sanchez reneged on promises to pay delinquent fines.
Harlingen police arrested Ortiz Sanchez in 2006 and 2007, Police Chief Danny Castillo said last week. Each time, she promised to work to settle her fines, he said. And each time, she skipped out on her promises, he said.
On Jan. 14, officer Salvador Carmona arrested Ortiz Sanchez after he spotted an expired registration sticker on her car, Castillo said. A dispatcher’s check with Municipal Court found she had 76 outstanding warrants.
The next day, Ortiz Sanchez appeared before Garcia, who set bond at $1,000 for driving without a valid license and $1,500 as a minimum payment on the warrants.
Garcia dismissed some warrants because they dated back so many years, leaving Ortiz Sanchez with a total of $15,696 in fines and fees.
It is unclear at this time what warrants remain outstanding and what fines are owed. No court or police officials have provided a list of the warrants.
After leaving the courtroom, San Benito police arrested Ortiz Sanchez for 10 outstanding warrants.
Jan. 17, San Benito officials released her after she posted $2,718 in fines.
Now, Cameron County authorities want to arrest her for outstanding warrants in Harlingen, San Benito, La Feria and Brownsville, San Benito Justice of the Peace David Garza said.
In Cameron County, she owes about $3,000 in fines, Garza said.
ping s texas
Gee, couldn’t have seen that one coming.
Didn’t a number of us predict this a couple of weeks ago when the story first came out?
Its a bird, its a plane, its Captain Obvious!
Valerie Ortiz Sanchez ???
Anyone wanna bet she is way south of the border?
If so she had better not drive while shaving. It will cost her $32 bucks. Which she probably wont pay.
Regards
Not to worry, she’s be back again after a quick trip to Mexico to get new papers.
Unless she’s waiting around to vote for McCain.
Maybe, or maybe not. She may be an Nth generation Tejano, who hates "those D@#% Mexicans" as much as any Gringo. Lots of Tejanos do you know. Valerie is not your typical Mexican name.
Remember Border Patrol Officers Campion and Ramos have Hispanic surnames too. But they are mouldering in a Federal prison for trying to protect the border from "those D@#% Mexicans".
Garcia dismissed some warrants because they dated back so many years, leaving Ortiz Sanchez with a total of $15,696 in fines and fees.
It is unclear at this time what warrants remain outstanding and what fines are owed. No court or police officials have provided a list of the warrants.
After leaving the courtroom, San Benito police arrested Ortiz Sanchez for 10 outstanding warrants.
Jan. 17, San Benito officials released her after she posted $2,718 in fines.
So, she was arrested, appeared in court and set up a plan with the Judge to resolve the issues before the court. Then, as she was leaving the court, the police arrest her again and she has to put up another ~$3,000 ni fines.
I can't really say as I blame her for skipping out again.
And the police and courts wonder why they've lost the respect of the citizens.
How does a woman make it past traffic stops with having THAT many warrants on her record? I mean she had to renew her license at some point. Her driving record should have flagged as "DETAIN".
That was my gut feeling too. I mean, come on folks, if they haven’t thrown her in the slammer for the first 75 warrants, why the heck would she be worried about number 76?
This is exactly why she's playing the system, because the authorities are too. She's smarter than they are.
Right, Mexican Americans are just that. Americans.
Regards
goofy judge...what’s his/her name ? charlie brown ?
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