Man Jailed 17 Hours for 1984 Ticket
By Associated Press
Wed Oct 11, 11:18 PM
LA CROSSE, Wis. - A 60-year-old man visiting La Crosse to help his elderly mother spent 17 hours in jail this week after a background check during a routine traffic stop uncovered an arrest warrant for a 1984 ticket.
Michael L. Saxton of Phoenix, said he never knew about the citation for failure to display boat registration numbers that the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Consolidated Court Automation Programs' Web site listed as having been issued against him in June 1984.
Saxton, a La Crosse native, was jailed from Monday until a Milwaukee County court commissioner reviewed the case Tuesday.
The Arizona man said he believes the citation was sent to him right after he moved to Seattle in mid-June 1984.
If he known about the ticket, Saxton said, he would have taken care of it before leaving the state.
La Crosse County Clerk of Courts Pam Radtke said it is common for people in the county not to show up for citations, and La Crosse County judges only issue arrest warrants for criminal offenses.
When someone in La Crosse County fails to make a court appearance on a citation, the judge normally finds them guilty by default, and a letter is sent ordering the person to pay the fine within 60 days.
"If they don't pay, we then do a warrant for failure to pay or we do a tax intercept or civil judgment," Radtke said.
