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Crime & Law Enforcement Issues & Death Penalty/Probation violation statue of limitations?

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Expert: - 2/6/2006


Question
I received a couple speeding and driving without a license tickets before Jan. 2000 in Florida.  I went to court and was put on probation for 6 months.  I was supposed to pay off the tickets as a condition of my probation.  The tickets were not all paid and I left the state one month before my probation was completed.  I've lived in another state since June, 2000.  Is there a statute of limitations on this?  Will I be able to go back to Florida and not have to worry about being arrested for the violation, and will I still have to pay the tickets?  I don't mind paying the tickets, but I certainly don't care to go to jail. But I do want to clear this up.

Answer
   You are confusing the term "statute of limitatins" with the a probabtion contract.  "Statute of limitations" means that the police have a certain time to solve a crime, usually a year for a misdemeanor and much longer or for life for a felony.  You are asking about a probation contract and probably a warrant that has been issued for leaving the state without fullfilling the terms of the contact.  I would suggest that you either call the probation office that handled your case or the police in Floria to determine if there is a warrant out for your arrest.

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Jack Toomey

Expertise

Please do NOT ask questions about potential jail sentences that you or your friends may receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer or a parole officer so questions about those subjects will be rejected. I am a police officer with 26 years experience. Can answer questions about crime, police procedure, investigations, criminal law, search and seizure, traffic offenses. Prefer not to answer questions on the death penalty. Please do not ask homework questions. Remember this. The law in every state is different so questions about laws that are specific to your state could be difficult to answer. I also cannot give you legal advice on what to do or not to do in court. I have worked with authors in the past and will be happy to review scenarios or plots with authors to check for believability or accuracy.

Experience

Police officer with 26 years experience. Ten years in patrol and sixteen years in the detective bureau investigating every type of crime including murder, rape, robbery, theft, fraud, missing persons, etc, etc. Also taught at the police academy in areas such as constitutional law, search and seizure, and lineups.

Education/Credentials
B.S. in Criminology from the University of Maryland.

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