What happens if I dont pay?, with this ticket I got... Options

[saleeka]

so yeah, first off, dont laugh, but on new years me and my friends got minor consumption tickets... Cops pulled someone over for a d dub in front of the house we were at in Wis, and assuming that they saw people go outside to smoke decided to come over to see what was going on... needless to say some of us were underage (WoOt for me) and the owner of the house LET THEM IN!!! So yeah me and 5 others got minors... So I got my ticket in the mail today and its 240 bucks... My question is this- I live in MN, the ticket is in Wis. It states on the ticket that failure to pay will result of revocation of license for 3 months. Thats just in wis, correct? Meaning I cant legaly drive in wis, but they cannot revoke my MN license... Also, if I got pulled over here in MN there wont be a warrant for wis. that they could expidte me for? I really am unsure about this and if you KNOW, the input would be good I really dont have the $ to deal with this at the moment, thats why im asking...

[jgreening]

First, you mean extradite not expidite.

Second, my recommendation is to pay.

Many states now have laws that result in license suspension when a minor is convicted of underage drinking. I do not know about Minnesota but for the sake of argument, lets assume they do.

When you fail to show up / pay for your ticket, the state you were in will report the conviction to the state you live in. They took all that info from your drivers license. When they do, your home state will reciprocally enforce the violation as if the violation occurred in the home state. This typically means driving priviledge issues. This may mean a suspension or the inability to renew your license until it is paid.

Assuming the matter is a misdemeanor (which it probably is), you are correct - you will not be extradited. However, a warrant will likley be issued for your arrest in Wisconsin. Then, if you are ever pulled over in Wisconsin in the future, you will be thrown in jail until you post bond. In this case, bond will likely be the cost of the ticket plus costs.

The only thing you have going for you is that this occurred in Wisconsin. When I was prosecuting, Wisconsin was not part of the interstate compact. It is an agreement made up of approximately 45 states that makes all the reciprocal stuff work. That said, they may be now. I do not know.

If you don't take care of it, I can almost guarantee this will haunt you someday.

Good luck.

- Jay.

This post has been edited by jgreening: Jan 8, 2005 - 3:44 PM