The Village of Calverton Park, tucked between Florissant and Ferguson in north St. Louis County, is now among area municipalities that have held amnesty courts. But very few people took advantage of the opportunity this weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, people could come into Calverton Park’s Municipal Court and clear the village’s outstanding warrants for their arrests. Warrants issued for traffic violations were recalled at no cost, and warrants for crimes such as DWI’s were recalled for a bond of $100.
However, only 8 or 9 people had shown up by noon on Sunday.
Calverton Park Police Chief Vince Delia said he’s not sure why so few people showed up because he made sure to get the word out to media. He said he wanted to hold the first amnesty session quickly after the village court approved it so that people could find holiday jobs if they wanted.
Delia also said that people can come in during office hours and pay bonds to remove the warrants for their arrests.
“They can post a bond at any time. If they have an outstanding warrant, they do not need to be in fear of being arrested,” Delia said. “You can come to our police station and post your bond. We’ll work with you on that. We’ve even been known to reduce the bonds.”
According to Delia, the Village of Calverton Park holds close to 3000 warrants, mostly for traffic violations. He said that the small municipality gets a lot of traffic along Route N/North Florissant, and they keep a close eye on the highway because it borders an elementary school. The warrants include some that date back at least six years.
Faye Morrison was one of the few people who did show up for Calverton Park’s first-ever amnesty court. She said it was a relief to get her warrant cleared.
“It’s a great burden, actually, lifted off my shoulders,” Morrison said. “Obviously, riding around with warrants makes you a little nervous. So I was very glad they implemented the program.”
Morrison still may have to pay a fine when she appears at her new court date, but she said she thinks the fines will be reasonable.
Follow Camille Phillips on Twitter: @cmpcamille
