Crime & Safety

Got Warrants? Hazelwood Courts Might Forgive Your Misdemeanors

Hazelwood's Court Division is one of many municipal courts participating in the 2013 St. Louis Metropolitan Area Amnesty Project. It gives local citizens an opportunity to rid misdemeanor warrants.

As part of "Family Week 2011," Better Family Life (BFL) will be hosting workshops for the St. Louis Metropolitan Area Amnesty Project at each location on the following dates:

  • Wed., Aug. 7 -- In the gymnasium at Florissant Valley Campus, 3400 Pershall Road
  • Sat., Aug. 10 -- In the Mildred E. Bastian Center for the Performing Arts at Forest Park Campus, 5600 Oakland Avenue

To qualify, citizens must attend one of these brief, 10-minute workshops and pay a $10 processing fee to obtain an amnesty voucher.

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The wanted individual is then required to take the amnesty voucher and report to the Hazelwood Court Division, or to any other municipal court where they have an outstanding misdemeanor warrant issued against them.

Hazelwood Chief of Police Gregg Hall said he believes in this amnesty program for the Hazelwood community.

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"The process basically provides an individual with a second chance and that second chance gives each person the opportunity to correct a mistake or a bad decision that they have made,"  Hall said in a statement. "An arrest causes embarrassment, major inconvenience and other hardships for the person involved and often for the person's family.

"This program will encourage many people to do the right thing and resolve the problems without those negative issues affecting them or their family."

The voucher redemption period for the is from August 12 to September 13. Operating hours of the Hazelwood Court Division are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Citizens must pay $100 in cash or money order for a bond which lifts the warrant. They will be required to return for another court date when the Judge will dispose of the matter.

Last year, James Clark, BFL’s vice president of community outreach, said they distributed more than 14,000 vouchers at the St. Louis Community College locations.

Hazelwood is one of more than 33 city and county municipalities participating. You can stop by for the seminar on either day at any time between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.




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