County Attorney Press Releases

March 2012 - Posts

Wednesday Is The Last Day To Pay And Avoid Publication Of Name In The Hot Check Warrant List

 

El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal today reminded hot check writers that tomorrow, Wednesday, March 28, 2012 is the last day to pay to avoid the publication of their names and addresses in the hot check warrant list.

The list with the names of individuals with outstanding warrants will be published on Sunday April 1, 2012, by the Diario de El Paso newspaper, the El Paso County website (http://www.epcounty.com/), and on other local media outlets.

The publication of the warrants list kicks-off a two-week amnesty period that runs from Sunday April 1st to Friday April 13, 2012.

Individuals who take advantage of the amnesty period and pay their outstanding balances before Friday, April 13, 2012, will avoid arrest during an upcoming county-wide warrant roundup that will be conducted by investigators of the El Paso County Attorney's Office, the Sheriff's Office, and Constables from Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Individuals who pay before the end of the amnesty period will not have to pay the extra fees related to incarceration such as court costs, attorney fees, and the cost of posting a bond.

Residents with outstanding hot check warrants can make their payments in person at the following locations:

·         El Paso County Courthouse

500 E. San Antonio, room 503

M- F 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

·         El Paso County Ysleta Annex

9521 Socorro Rd., Suite A-3

M - F 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Additionally, during the amnesty period (April 1-13, 2012), residents of Northeast El Paso can make their payments in person at the following location:

·         El Paso County Attorney’s Northeast Annex Office

4641 Cohen St., Suite D

M- F 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.

Forms of payment accepted include credit cards, money orders, cashier checks, and cash; however, those paying with cash will have to bring the exact amount (cashiers cannot give change).

In addition, residents can make payments online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through "Hot Check E-pay," by visiting the El Paso County Attorney's Office web-page at https://www.epcounty.com/hotchecks/. Some individuals may be eligible for a payment plan.

For more information regarding hot check payments and balances please contact the El Paso County Attorney's Office Hot Check Unit at 546-2051 or visit the El Paso County Attorney's Office web site at: www.epcounty.com/CA.

Since March 14, 2012, when the roundups were announced, more than 60 individuals have taken advantage of the amnesty program, paying off 164 checks worth more than $38,000.

There are currently more than 2,700 names in the County's hot checks warrants list who owe local merchants more than $2.13 million dollars. Last fiscal year (2010-2011) the Hot Check Unit collected more than $905,000 in outstanding hot checks.

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2012 Hot Check Warrant List Publication 2 Press Release.pdf

2do Boletín 2012 Amnistia Publicacion Lista de Ordenes de Arresto.pdf

2012 Hot-Check Warrant Amnesty Period And Roundup Announced

Arrest roundups to follow publication of the names

El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal and El Paso County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jesus Campa today announced that they will be joined by Constables from Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, in conducting a roundup of individuals with outstanding hot check warrants in El Paso County.

This cooperative effort by local law enforcement to arrest hot check writers will be preceded by the publication of the names and addresses of thousands of individuals with outstanding warrants, and an amnesty period in which residents can pay their outstanding amounts without being arrested.

The list with the names of individuals with outstanding warrants will be published on Sunday April 1, 2012 by many local media outlets and in the County's website. Individuals who want to avoid the publication of their names must pay their outstanding balances in full by Wednesday March 28, 2012.

The publication of the warrants list kicks-off a two-week amnesty period that runs from Sunday April 1st to Friday April 13, 2012.

Individuals who take advantage of the amnesty period and pay their outstanding balances before Friday, April 13, 2012, will avoid arrest during an upcoming county-wide warrant roundup. Additionally, they will not have to pay extra fees, such as court costs, attorney fees, and the cost of posting a bond.

Residents with outstanding hot check warrants can make their payments in person at the following locations:

·         El Paso County Courthouse

500 E. San Antonio, room 503

M- F 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

·         El Paso County Ysleta Annex

9521 Socorro Rd., Suite A-3

M - F 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

 

Additionally, during the amnesty period (April 1-13, 2012), residents of Northeast El Paso can make their payments in person at the following location:

 

·         El Paso County Attorney’s Northeast Annex Office

4641 Cohen St., Suite D

M- F 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.

(915) 858-0631

Forms of payment accepted include credit cards, money orders, cashier checks, and cash; however, those paying with cash will have to bring the exact amount (cashiers cannot give change).

In addition, residents can make payments online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through "Hot Check E-pay," by visiting the El Paso County Attorney's Office web-page at www.epcounty.com/CA

For more information regarding hot check payments and balances please contact the El Paso County Attorney's Office Hot Check Unit at 546-2051 or visit the El Paso County Attorney's Office web site at: www.epcounty.com/CA.

            There are currently more than 2,700 names in the County's hot checks warrants list who owe local merchants more than $2.13 million dollars. During last fiscal year (2010-2011) the Hot Check Unit collected more than $905,000 in outstanding hot checks. So far, during the first 5 months of fiscal year 2011-2012 (October-February), the County Attorney's Office has collected over $330,000.

            El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal is encouraging individuals with outstanding warrants for writing hot checks to take advantage of this opportunity. In order to facilitate the payment of outstanding amounts, County Attorney's Office will be accepting payment plans for qualifying individuals.

"For many years now, the County Attorney's Office has been supporting local businesses by collecting their insufficient funds checks at no cost. We believe the public display of the names of individuals with warrants might serve as a deterrent for hot checks writers, and will motivate some of them to come forward to pay any outstanding amounts before they face serious consequences," Bernal said.

"Hot check writers who do not seize this opportunity will be arrested and will face criminal charges," Bernal concluded.

2012 Hot Check Warrant List Publication Press Release.pdf

Boletín 2012 Amnistia Publicacion Lista de Ordenes de Arresto.pdf

2012 Hot Check Roundup Calendar Media.pdf

Jo Anne Bernal To Be Presented With The 2012 La Mujer Obrera Award

El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal has been named one of the three recipients of the 2012 "La Mujer Obrera Award" for her advocacy work to fight domestic violence in El Paso County.

The awards recognize local community leaders that fight to promote and uphold the rights of women on the border.

The 2012 honorees are:

Olivia Figueroa: Executive Director of Project AYUDA for helping San Elizario colonias residents to have access to dignified housing.

Dr. Yolanda Leyva: Professor of History at the University of Texas at El Paso, for her advocacy work in support of labor & human rights.

Jo Anne Bernal: El Paso County Attorney for her work to address domestic violence through prevention campaigns targeting local youth, and her support for the creation of the first "Protective Order Court" in El Paso County.

Last year the County Attorney's Office, along with the District Attorney's Office, launched the educational campaign "Don't Let Yourself." The main objective of the campaign is to reduce the incidence of dating violence among teens in El Paso County, and also educate adults about the problem of domestic violence in our community.

Since February 2011, when the campaign was unveiled, it's materials have been used to educate more than 9,500 local students and parents, and the educational videos created for the program just recently won 3 Gold Addy Awards, including the best of show award, by the Advertising Federation of El Paso.

In an effort to better serve victims of domestic violence who live in the outlying areas of the County, the County Attorney's Office has also opened two satellite offices in Ysleta and Northeast El Paso. Now victims of domestic violence do not have to travel long distances to downtown El Paso to obtain a free protective order.

The "La Mujer Obrera" awards will be presented at the annual "International Women's Day Benefit Dinner," to be held on Thursday March 8, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at Mercado Mayapán, 2101 Myrtle, El Paso, TX.

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Mujer Obrera Award Press Release.pdf