The Pioneer Justice Court will host its semi-annual Warrant Resolution Day from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 13 at the Pioneer Justice Court, 3675 E. Hunt Highway in San Tan Valley.
Anyone with a warrant issued by the Pioneer Justice Court can appear on Nov. 13 to have their warrant quashed and get their case back on track.
Justice of the Peace Shaun Babeu will open the court on Saturday in hopes to benefit those who have missed their court date during the regular work week due to their job or school schedules.
“Many people have to make a tough decision on coming to court or potentially losing their job, so we want to see if we can work toward getting these cases back on track and clear the warrant,” Babeu said, adding that this event is a way for people to resolve their warrants on a weekend and not face the prospect of being arrested. “In many cases, individuals get pulled over for civil traffic violations and are then taken into custody because they have an active warrant."
Jail costs for Pinal County are estimated to be $74 a day and those costs are never recouped when people are booked into the jail on a warrant. The court is willing to make this effort to get individuals back on track and to save the taxpayers money.
“It’s not just the $74 jail cost, you also have the one to two hours of transport and booking those with warrants, which takes law enforcement away for the community and likely extends emergency response times,” Babeu continued.
In many cases, individuals who have a warrant also have their driver’s license suspended, which can be a huge obstacle in getting or keeping employment as well as putting a strain on their ability to support a family. The Pioneer Justice Court is also providing a pathway for individuals who have defaulted on a payment plan for criminal or civil traffic cases to restart their payment plan. Those having a financial hardship with payments can seek entry into the Pioneer Justice Court Community Service Program on this day.
Babeu started a weekend warrant resolution day years ago when he presided over the Apache Junction Justice Court. Previous weekend warrant resolution days cleared over 100 warrants and/or reinstated driving privileges to those whose ability to drive had been suspended.
“While many feared that this was a ploy to have them arrested, there were no arrests and there will be no arrests at this Saturday setting. Defendants will be set up with new court dates or payment plans,” Babeu concluded.
The Pioneer Justice Court has approximately 600 active misdemeanor warrants and its jurisdiction covers San Tan Valley and the Pinal County section of Queen Creek. This only applies to cases in the Pioneer Justice Court. Individuals may contact the Pioneer Justice Court at 480-380-7312 or pioneerjc@courts.az.gov to check the status of their case and determine if they are eligible to attend.
