Hot Checks Warrants Available Online
List
contains nearly 5,000 individuals who face criminal charges
El Paso County Attorney José
Rodríguez announced today a new service that will allow the public to easily
check the current county's hot checks warrants list. The list is available
starting today from any computer with internet access by visiting the El Paso County web page:
www.epcounty.com.
The Chief of the Criminal Unit, Kent Sutton said the publication of the warrants
list is the first step towards increasing hot check collections in El Paso County.
"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" Kent Sutton
said..
"We also think small business owners will find the list
useful in determining whether or not they should take a check from an
individual."
The Hot Check Unit of the El Paso
County Attorney's Office offers merchants and individuals free collection
services of the face amount of the hot check and an additional fee of $30 for
the benefit of the payee; they also prosecute hot check writers in court.
It is
estimated that currently hot check writers owe local businesses more than $5
million dollars. Just during the first 9 months of fiscal year 2006, and thanks
in part to hot check initiatives implemented along with the El Paso Police
Department, the El Paso Hot Checks
Warrants Cont. Page #2
Sheriff's Department and the local Constables, this office
has collected more than $1.25 million dollars in restitution and fees to local
merchants.
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For those interested members of the media, the Chief
of the Hot Checks Unit Kent Sutton will
be available for interviews later today at the County Attorney's
Office, 5th floor of the County
Building in downtown El Paso. Please call if
you are interested in talking to him.
Hot Checks Warrant List.pdf