This interview will be on “St. Louis on the Air” over the noon hour on Friday. This story will be updated after the show. You can listen live.
Next Friday and Saturday, people with an outstanding bench warrant in St. Louis Municipal Court will have a chance to set a new court date or even take care of the charges on the spot. They’ll also have a chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine on site. If they do — or if they can show proof of prior vaccination — the court will offer $100 off existing fines and court fees.
This will be the fourth consecutive year of warrant amnesty in the city, yet the number of outstanding warrants continues to rise. In 2018, there were 54,000 outstanding warrants; now there are about 138,000. That’s a 155% increase.
Bench warrants (separate from arrest warrants initiated by police) are typically issued by a judge after someone doesn’t show up in court — most commonly in the municipal court for traffic violations.
On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Sarah Fenske will talk with Judge Newton McCoy, an administrative judge with the St. Louis Municipal Court.
The municipal court will offer warrant forgiveness on August 27-28. The court can be reached at (314) 622-3231.
The St. Louis Circuit Court, which handles misdemeanors and felonies, will also offer warrant forgiveness on Friday, August 27. About 2,000 outstanding warrants there are considered eligible and people should call the court at (314) 641-8214 for more information. Unfortunately for defendants, that court is not offering vaccine incentives.
Have a question or comment about warrant forgiveness? Tweet us (@STLonAir), send an email to talk@stlpr.org or share your thoughts via our St. Louis on the Air Facebook group, and help inform our coverage.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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