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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Spokane offers chance to dismiss misdemeanor arrest warrants

Adan Sykes, who missed a court date on Wednesday, showed up at “Warrant Fest” Thursday, June 9, 2016 at the Spokane Intermodal Center to try and get his warrant quashed so he wouldn’t be summarily arrested if he is stopped by police. The city prosecutor and defender who run Community Court on Mondays at the Spokane Public Library held sessions around downtown to get those with outstanding warrants to check in with them and set new appearance dates. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
By Nina Culver nculver47@gmail.com

People had a chance to get their arrest warrants revoked Thursday without fear of being jailed during an amnesty event called Warrant Fest.

Defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges were at three locations to process paperwork and give people new court dates. Many who came had “failure to appear” warrants because they missed a court date.

Adan Sykes, who was arrested recently on domestic violence charges, was late to court Wednesday because he was getting checked in at the Union Gospel Mission. He heard about the Warrant Fest and went to the session at the Intermodal Center downtown rather than wade through the paperwork usually required to get a warrant revoked.

“They said it would be easier,” he said. “I don’t even have a meeting with my public defender until June 20.”

He said he was happy to be able to take care of his warrant quickly while he tries to piece his life back together. A few signatures later, he was given a paper signed by a judge that said his warrant was quashed. He was told to carry it with him at all times and carefully tucked it into his wallet.

Another person who stopped by the Intermodal Center was a young wife and mother who had a warrant for failing to appear on a petty theft charge in 2011. Attorneys said she had changed her life for the better and had come in at the urging of her husband.

“It interferes with people’s ability to get employment,” said Judge Mary Logan. “It interferes with their ability to get housing. That’s what drives them, often.”

The Warrant Fest was only for misdemeanor cases inside the city limits of Spokane, where there are 4,600 active warrants, Logan said.

Misdemeanor cases often can be cleared up with community service or other measures rather than jail, Logan said, but a warrant can stand in the way of closing a case because the person doesn’t want to be arrested.

“They can reconnect with the system, which is the only way to address the underlying crime,” she said. “We’re not dealing, for the most part, with super-violent people.”

Booking someone into jail costs $130, which doesn’t include the time spent on the arrest by police and jail staff. Often those charged with misdemeanors are released if the jail is crowded. Having a Warrent Fest is a way to save the city money and help ease the burden on the judicial system, Logan said. “The cases are not going to go away,” she said.