LAFAYETTE, La. ( KLFY ) — Anyone with an outstanding misdemeanor or traffic warrant issued by Lafayette City Court will soon have the opportunity to avoid arrest and settle contempt of court charges.

This one-day chance will be available at the end of the month. Lafayette City Court Judge Jules Edwards III discusses the importance of handling unfinished legal matters.

The warrant recall is set for Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 9 a.m.

Judge Edwards mentions many individuals are apprehensive about appearing in court. In many cases, they are not deliberately trying to evade the charges. The situation is that they are afraid.

If a warrant is issued for a person’s arrest due to an outstanding warrant, that person will typically be brought before the court to have their warrant recalled, which triggers a contempt of court hearing.

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“Normally, people who don’t come to court face an additional penalty,” Edwards said.

The city court understands the situation and offers individuals the chance to come to court voluntarily without facing contempt of court penalties.

“We can resolve their matter completely. If they are not able to resolve it completely, we’ll give them a new date. Most of all, there will be no additional penalties,” Edwards said.

The Oct. 30 recall will be the second recall Lafayette City Court held this year

“The point is to avoid an arrest, and we can resolve your case. If you are not able to pay the money, we can give you a payment plan. If you can’t even pay the $50 a month that the payment plan requires, we can have you do community service,” he said.

If a police officer applies to a judge to issue a warrant for a misdemeanor case, the city court will not recall those.

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