Facing outstanding bench warrant? 'Safe surrender' event planned Aug. 11-12 in Aztec
A “safe surrender” event during which anyone facing an outstanding bench warrant can present themselves before a judge and perhaps avoid jail time or other consequences is planned this weekend in Aztec.
The event will take place from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday Aug. 11 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 at Aztec Magistrate Court, 200 Gossett Drive in Aztec, according to a news release.
“Statewide, there are 82,000 outstanding warrants in magistrate courts,” Artie Pepin, administrative office of the courts director, stated in the news release. “Our goal is always to help anyone who wants to come back into compliance with the courts and the San Juan Safe Surrender event will make it a little easier for people to do that.”
Anyone who appears at the event voluntarily will receive favorable consideration when requesting a new court date, payment plan or any other option required to comply with their court order, officials said.
A total of 64 cases were heard during a similar event held in June in Alamogordo’s magistrate court. A total of 297 cases were removed from warrant status after the event, according to the release.
Those who are unsure if they have an outstanding bench warrant can find out their status by calling 1-855-268-7804 or check online at nmcourts.gov.
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This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: 'Safe surrender' event helps those facing outstanding bench warrants
