WARREN Amnesty offered for minor warrants

The remaining court amnesty sessions will be next week.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- People wanted on bench warrants for nonpayment of fines or costs or failure to appear in court have two more opportunities to show up under an amnesty program.
The remaining amnesty program sessions will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday in Warren Municipal Court. After Thursday's session, the amnesty program expires, said Jeff Hovanic, bailiff for Judge Thomas P. Gysegem.
Those who owe fines and court costs are asked to bring at least $150 with them so they can start paying what they owe, Hovanic said. The program operates on a walk-in basis; no appointments are necessary.
Judge Terry F. Ivanchak will hold court on Tuesday and Judge Gysegem on Thursday.
First two sessions
The first two amnesty sessions were held this past week. Eleven people showed up at Tuesday evening's session with Judge Ivanchak and only four showed up at Thursday evening's session with Judge Gysegem. Judge Gysegem said he wasn't sure why the turnout was so low.
The program applies only to people charged with traffic or nonviolent misdemeanor offenses and does not expunge the original offenses with which they were charged.
But those facing bench warrants for their arrest can appear in court during one of the amnesty sessions and possibly face reduced fines and court costs. They also will be released without having to post any bond, Judge Gysegem said.
Avoiding jail
"Take advantage of it, because it's a way of avoiding jail," he urged those eligible to participate in the amnesty program. Ordinarily, "In order for warrants to clear, defendants have to be booked into the jail," he said.
Amnesty program participants can avoid the prospect of being arrested on the bench warrant and jailed until the next court date, thereby avoiding a possible three-day jail stay over a long holiday weekend, Judge Gysegem observed.
"I like it because it's a win-win situation for the community," the judge said of the amnesty program. "It gives the court the opportunity to lower its warrant count and to process the cases," he said.
The city benefits by collecting some outstanding fines and court costs and by not having to pay $68 a day in taxpayer funds to house each prisoner arrested on a bench warrant in Trumbull County Jail, he noted.
People wanted on bench warrants also won't be tempted to lie to police about their identity and risk a falsification charge, nor will they be tempted to flee and engage police in a dangerous motor vehicle pursuit, he added.
"We've had innocent people that were injured and killed while people were fleeing the police because they had a warrant," Judge Gysegem said.
Warren Municipal Court has more than 1,500 outstanding bench warrants for nonpayment of fines and costs, totaling about $500,000, and more than 1,500 bench warrants for failure to appear in court.
Cleveland collected about $1.2 million in overdue fines and court costs when it launched an amnesty program earlier this year, according to Warren City Councilman Robert L. Dean Jr., D-at large.