City Of Bristow Offers Amnesty Event To Waive Warrant Fees

The City of Bristow has wrapped up its Amnesty Day, giving those with outstanding warrants a chance to pay their dues.

Leaders with the City of Bristow say they had hoped more people with warrants could have shown up to have it recalled, but leaders also say after collecting just under $4,000 today, workers got some stress off their backs.

"It can be very hectic," says assistant Court Clerk Brandie Cagle. "It's very time-consuming as well."

Workers at the City of Bristow say coming into this morning, the city had over $850,000 in outstanding warrants.

Since Bristow only has a Municipal Court, the most common citations were offenses like speeding, DUS's (driving under suspicion) and running stop signs.

Brandie Cagle with the City of Bristow said taking care of those warrants can be overwhelming because the costs can add up quickly.

"You see them making progress and you're super excited for them and then they get picked up and new citations and then they are the next court date, and then they have a new warrant," Cagle said. "It's very challenging for them as well."

Anyone who had a failure to appear warrant, which is given to those who don't show up to court, had their extra fees waived.

If they had just a fine and cost warrant and decided to pay in full, the warrant was cut by 50 percent.

"That's what we're here for today, we wanted to help the citizens that did have the warrants to come out and help them." Bristow Court Clerk Sabrina Mounce said. "It helps us because it gets it off our books, and it definitely helps them."

Mounce says they wished they could have helped more people.

But she says those who did show up exhaled a big sigh of relief.

"One of them was like, I've been staying out of Bristow because I knew I had this warrant, and so now....his family is from here and he'll be back in town," Mounce said.

Mounce says they are hoping to have another amnesty day in the future.

If someone did not show up for Amnesty Day, they either have to go to court or pay the fees in full.

Otherwise, Bristow Police will be out for their arrest.