Facts:
My client is 57 and lives in New York. In the late 90s, she worked at Gators on the Pass on Treasure Island. For those of you who remember, it was a wild and crazy place. My client became unhappy about how she was being compensated and quit. She claimed that she was owed money, so took with her checks in the amount of $582. She went on with her life and eventually moved to New York where she raised four children.
Meanwhile, in 1998, the State Attorney’s Office in Pinellas County received a case wherein Gators had complained about her taking the checks. A warrant for grand theft was issued. It was a felony. The warrant was outstanding for all these years and she had no idea.
My client went to Canada in 2022 and was stopped at the border. They claimed there was a warrant for her arrest from Florida and would not let her enter the country. She then contacted me.
The Case:
Gators is now closed and there was never much to the case. There was no way to go back and argue over whether the money was owed or not. My client had no other record and simply wanted this resolved. There are also always problems with the statute of limitations in these old warrant cases when someone was never arrested.
I contacted the Assistant State Attorney who is in charge of these old warrants and explained the situation.
The Result:
The Assistant State Attorney agreed that if she would pay the $582 to the State of Florida Crimes Compensation Fund, the case would be dismissed. My client paid it immediately and the warrant was recalled and the case was dropped. She was very pleased to have this behind her.