License suspended and arrested for bounced check??? (Texas)

[Adam_Flores]

Hi! My wife was recently pulled over for speeding in Terry County, TX. Officer then proceeded to arrest her, etc.. Long story short, she spent the night in jail without understanding her charges, I bailed her out, and now we're being told that her license had been suspended (without our notification, possibly because of an old mailing address on the license). The kicker is that the woman at the Lubbock County precinct that we were told to contact is telling us that my wife was cited for a bounced check of $20.00 in 2002. Since she failed to pay the citation (which she didn't know about), she had her license suspended, and now has all the fines and Texas surcharges to pay for DWLI.

In total, we needed to pay $750 bail, $650 fees to the court, speeding ticket fee (which we aren't contesting), and now we need to contact the Check District Attorney's office in Lubbock and pay him some amount. On top of this, the DWLI surcharge is $250 a year for the next 3 consecutive years or $750.

My question, can the state of Texas, or Lubbock county cite my wife for bouncing a check to Domino's Pizza????? It seems that the state and more importantly the Texas taxpayer shouldn't be paying for debt collection on behalf of private companies. Also, can they then suspend her license for something so un-totally driving related? And if so, don't these (several thousand dollars in fines) seem a little excessive for something so minor?? We're both college students and we make maybe $1500 a month together. Are we right to expect some kind of lenience?

Thanks in advance for any advice..
Totally disgusted with the legal system in Texas..

 

[Duranie]

Yes the state can suspend her license for non traffic violations. It happens all the time especially with parents who do not pay child support.

If DMV did not have an updated address in order to serve you correctly, that is likely your responsibility.

If your wife wrote a bad check and did not make good on the debt, again, that is something the state can pursue. If the pizza place did not have up to date information in order to contact you, that could be a criminal charge. If the check bounced, you should have been notified by the bank, you then could have made good on the debt.

So what exactly is your wife being charged with? Is she being charged with anything criminal?

You can see an attorney if you wish but you migth be stuck paying off the penalties in order to get this cleared up.

 

[lwpat]

You need to consult with a local attorney. He can probably help you get this straightened out and end up saving you some money. She does not need to drive until reinstated.