Woman with 76 warrants arrested

HARLINGEN — What started as a traffic stop Monday turned into something far from routine for Harlingen police.

Police discovered the driver had accumulated 76 outstanding warrants and $18,986 in unpaid fines and court fees dating back to 1998, Sgt. John Parrish said.

The warrants are for traffic violations and parking tickets, police said.

Valerie Ortiz Sanchez, 31, was arrested on charges of having expired car registration, no insurance and driving with an expired license, according to an arrest report.

Sanchez appeared Tuesday before Municipal Court Judge Valerie Garcia, who set bond at $1,000 for driving without a valid license and $1,500 as a minimum payment on the warrants, Parrish said.

Garcia dismissed some of the warrants because they dated back so many years, Parrish said, which left Sanchez with a total of $15,696 in fines and fees.

Parrish said it is unusual, but possible, for someone to have that many warrants.

“Of course that’s not the norm, but it has happened before,” Parrish said.

In order for a police officer to make an arrest on a municipal court warrant, the officer needs a hard copy of the warrant, Parrish said.

If a person with a warrant is pulled over after the court’s normal business hours, on a holiday or a weekend, the officer may not be able to obtain the hard copy, he said.

Also, if the person had been arrested in the past and made arrangements with a municipal court judge to pay the fines, and then not followed through with the payment arrangement, the warrants would be reissued, Parrish said.

Part of the total amount Sanchez owed included additional fees such as those for failing to appear in court, Parrish said.

During the arrest Monday, a police officer stopped Sanchez in the 2300 block of East Harrison Avenue after noticing the vehicle she was driving had an expired registration sticker, according to the arrest report.

Sanchez identified herself to the officer as Valerie Sanchez, and the officer asked the dispatcher to run her name, the arrest report states.

The dispatcher then asked the officer to verify the driver’s name or middle name and the officer learned her married name is Ortiz, the report states.

Then it became apparent that the woman had the 76 outstanding warrants, according to the report. Her license was suspended Dec. 16 after she was charged with driving while intoxicated, according to the report.

Sanchez will remain at the Cameron County jail or at the Harlingen jail until she can come up with the bond amount and the minimum payment, Parrish said.

The judge will decide whether Sanchez will be taken to the Cameron County jail if she does not make the minimum payment of $1,500, Parrish said.

However, the judge could decide to allow Sanchez to get credit for time served at the county jail or may require her to stay at the Harlingen jail until the minimum amount is paid, Parrish said.

If Sanchez is able to make the $1,000 bond and the $1,500 payment, she will be released and expected back in court at a later date to make arrangements for the remaining amount of money owed, Parrish said.