Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer Blog
On March 11, 1997 JL was stopped by the Andover Police for speeding. When the Police ran his license it came back as suspended. When the police checked his record he had three prior convictions for driving on a suspended license. JL went to court for arraignment. The case proceeded in Court and the DA was looking for JL to go to jail. The case was set down for trial in 1999 and JL defaulted on the trial date, a warrant issued for his arrest, and he went on the run. Fast forward 18 years. JL is living in Florida and has a Florida license. He goes to renew his FL license and FL will not renew because FL is now aware of the warrant in Massachusetts. JL continues to drive in FL and gets caught. The Judge in FL tells JL to get his warrant cleared in Massachusetts and get his license reinstated in Massachusetts otherwise the FL judge is going to send him to jail.
JL retains Attorney Robert Lewin in North Andover. It takes the Clerk’s Office in Lawrence Court two weeks to locate the papers from 1997; the papers had actually been misfiled. The papers are located. The police report is located and the police officer who stopped JL back in 1997 is still an active duty police officer on the Andover Police Department! Attorney Lewin meets with the District Attorney and convinces the District Attorney to dismiss the case upon the payment of $650.00 in Court Costs. The DA’s Office, however, insists that they will not dismiss the case until and unless JL comes to Court in MA.
Attorney Lewin contacts JL and tells JL there is good news and bad news. The bad news is you have to come to MA; the good news is that if you come to Massachusetts the case will get dismissed and the warrant will be cancelled. On Wednesday evening November 18, 2015 JL flew up from FL to Boston. On Thursday morning, November 19, 2015 JL and Attorney Robert Lewin walked into Lawrence District Court. They went in front of the Judge. The default was removed, the WARRANT WAS CANCELLED, and the CASE WAS DISMISSED. Attorney Lewin furnished JL with a copy of the Notice of Warrant Cancellation and a copy of the Court Docket Sheet showing that the case was dismissed. JL was thrilled.
JL then left the court and went over to the Registry of Motor Vehicles. At 4:10 pm on November 19, 2015 JL met with a hearing officer at the RMV who ordered JL’s driving privileges in Massachusetts reinstated upon the payment of a $50 reinstatement fee. JL paid the reinstatement fee and his MA driving privileges are now fully reinstated. He is headed to the airport to fly back to FL a very very happy man.