Legal Question--Outstanding DUI Fines

In My Humble Opinion
1

I know that there is probably a prohibition on the SDMB about dispensing official legal advice, so I am placing this here for “opinions.”

Anyway, a friend of mine (and no, this is not about me disguised in the old cliched manner, but is about a friend) was convicted in the state of Ohio of two DUIs within a month’s span about nine years ago when she was fast in the grip of alcoholism (this May 16th she will have been sober for five years). Part of her sentence included fines of five hundred dollars for each offense. She paid the fines for a time (got the total amount down to around 7-800 dollars), then moved away from that city, and has not paid any since. She has chosen not to have a license since. As mentioned, she is five years sober, and has led an exemplary life since then, save for not paying the fines.

She has come to realize that she needs to set this wrong right. Therefore my questions:

  1. Would there be warrants for her arrest for this failure to pay?

  2. Is there a site on the internet (perhaps a court site for the county/city of the two DUIs) where we could find out if there is a warrant?

  3. If she (or I) approached the courts in this city with an offer to pay the fines, would she be arrested, or would the the courts allow her to pay without any additional punishments, other than perhaps “late fees?”

  4. Would it be better to ask a lawyer, or perhaps a clergyman to intercede and find out if there is a warrant?

Again, she realizes that what she has done is wrong, and wants to face this. On her behalf I thank you in advance for your answers.

Sincerely,

Sir Rhosis

2

In Columbus there is a website, Franklin County Court and it will list all warrants. Not sure about the rest of the state.

3

  1. You could almost guarantee there is. It is probably a no priority warrant, the police are not going to look for her but if they have contact with her, she will be arrested.

  2. There are some available. Due to privacy issues, many jurisdictions don’t. The link provided by dalej42 will not actually tell you there is a warrant, just that there is an alert associated with that person’s name. The alert system used by that county means that the person has been named in some type of criminal or civil action, the only way to find out which is to go to the courthouse.

2a. If the fines and late fees are paid, she likely would not be arrested.

  1. Anyone can go to a courthouse an inquire about a warrant. A lawyer will charge you to do it, I can’t see any advantage to using someone from a church.
4

And it is a hoot to watch what happens when the person making the inquiry is the one against whom there is a warrant.