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Fresh Start - Warrant Recall & Fee Relief Month

3/16/2026

Jonesboro City Court
Fresh Start: Warrant Recall & Fee Relief Month
Program Guidelines & Implementation Plan

Program Window: March 16 through April 13, 2026
Prepared for: City Court Leadership | Led by Chief Israel Smith and Mayor J. Spike Harris. The Fresh Start: Warrant Recall & Fee Relief Month is a limited-time City Court compliance initiative designed to help eligible defendants resolve outstanding traffic, ordinance, and misdemeanor matters by recalling qualifying bench warrants and waiving selected add-on fees (e.g., bench warrant recall fees, late fees, and collection fees). The program does not forgive underlying charges or base fines. Participation requires payment of the underlying violation amount (or court-approved alternative if applicable).

Included case categories (subject to exclusion list below):

  • Traffic tickets (payable and mandatory-court citations, as allowed by the Court).
  • Municipal ordinance violations.
  • Misdemeanors within City Court jurisdiction (non-violent / non-excluded categories).

Excluded matters (examples—final list should be confirmed by the Judge/Court):

  • Expired license / license-related offenses (excluded).
  • Speeding in school zones and other school-zone moving violations (excluded).
  • Battery and other violent offenses (excluded).
  • DWI / DUI offenses (excluded).
  • Domestic violence offenses (excluded).
  • Probation-related warrants or violations (excluded).
  • Any offense category the Court determines presents heightened public-safety risk or requires standard enforcement.
  • Cases with restitution orders or victim-related payments, if the Court elects to exclude (recommended).
  • Any state-agency holds or fees outside City Court authority (e.g., DMV/ODR-related holds).

Fees to be waived during the program window (if eligible):

  • Bench warrant recall / contempt add-on fee(s) assessed solely due to failure to appear or failure to pay.
  • Late fees / delinquency penalties assessed due to non-payment beyond the due date.
  • Collection fees assessed due to referral to collections, where the Court has authority to waive or reduce.

What is NOT waived: underlying charge(s), base fine(s), mandatory court costs, and any amounts owed to other state agencies or required by statute/court rule.

  • How to participate: Pay the underlying violation/base amount during the program window (violation payment only).
  • Where to pay: City Hall (128 Allen Ave) Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., or Jonesboro Police Department (100 4th St) 24 hours.
  • Payment type: Money Order ONLY.
  • Contact: JonesboroLA.net | 318-259-5025 or 318-259-5026.
  • Disclaimer: Eligibility is determined by City Court; unrelated warrants or excluded matters are handled under standard procedures.