Facts:
My client hired me to fix a warrant that had been active since 2012. The warrant was from Hillsborough County and was for failure to return a leased vehicle. He called me from another state and asked me to see what I could do to fix it.
The Case:
In 2012, my client was in Tampa and rented a car from Enterprise. He was supposed to drop it back off at the same rental place in Tampa. Instead, he kept the car past the rental date, drove out of state, and dropped it off at an Enterprise there. In the meantime, Enterprise reported the car stolen. Without ever arresting him, the State Attorney’s Office in Hillsborough County filed a criminal felony charge against him for failing to return the leased vehicle.
The charge sat there since 2012 with an active warrant for his arrest. My client continued on with his life and became a successful business man with a family. He decided that he needed to clean up the warrant so that he could come to Florida without being arrested.
The Result:
I called the division chief where the charge was originally filed. I explained the circumstances and that my client was willing to pay for any damages. The prosecutor looked at the file and told me that they were trying to clean up these old warrants and that she would dismiss it.
The following day, the case was dismissed! From one phone call and over two days, the old charge was gone. My client was thrilled. This case was a good reminder about how people should not sit on these warrants because there might be an easy solution.