Woman Arrested On 1977 DWI Charge
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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- An Orange County woman was picked up on an outstanding warrant from 34 years ago. The warrant stems from a 1977 DWI charge.
The clerk of court does have records that far back, but some are destroyed after they're cleared up. That's part of the reason Jessica Pierce hired an attorney to have the case being heard at the courthouse dismissed.
Pierce is 57 years old. She walks with a cane because she's had a stroke and three heart attacks. A back surgery has her on heavy doses of pain medication.
Pierce was driving her Camero in late February when Orange County deputies pulled her over, along SR-50.
"I didn't realize they were after me because I wasn't doing anything wrong," Pierce said.
Pierce had an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a DWI charge from 1977. She was arrested and booked into the Orange County jail.
Pierce now faces 6 months in jail for something that happened 34 years ago. She's hired attorney Adam Haba, who believes the case should be dismissed.
"For that officer to be able to recall the exact details of that investigation, her state-of-mind at the time, that's going to be a difficult task to accomplish," Haba said.
A spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff's Office said it is not uncommon. There are no expiration dates on warrants.
They can only be cleared up in court, which Pierce believes she did decades ago.
The problem is that the clerk of courts may not have proof on file because records are destroyed every five years on certain closed cases.
Pierce's attorney said the kicker is her license was re-instated in 2002, and the state even issued a new one in 2008.
"I told them, I'm not a criminal, wasn't doing anything wrong. I took care of this matter," she said.
Officials at the Department of Motor Vehicles said a license can be re-instated after a drunk-driving charge, regardless of any outstanding criminal charges.
Pierce will be in court for the case next Tuesday.
video at http://www.wftv.com/news/27167243/detail.html
The clerk of court does have records that far back, but some are destroyed after they're cleared up. That's part of the reason Jessica Pierce hired an attorney to have the case being heard at the courthouse dismissed.
Pierce is 57 years old. She walks with a cane because she's had a stroke and three heart attacks. A back surgery has her on heavy doses of pain medication.
Pierce was driving her Camero in late February when Orange County deputies pulled her over, along SR-50.
"I didn't realize they were after me because I wasn't doing anything wrong," Pierce said.
Pierce had an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a DWI charge from 1977. She was arrested and booked into the Orange County jail.
Pierce now faces 6 months in jail for something that happened 34 years ago. She's hired attorney Adam Haba, who believes the case should be dismissed.
"For that officer to be able to recall the exact details of that investigation, her state-of-mind at the time, that's going to be a difficult task to accomplish," Haba said.
A spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff's Office said it is not uncommon. There are no expiration dates on warrants.
They can only be cleared up in court, which Pierce believes she did decades ago.
The problem is that the clerk of courts may not have proof on file because records are destroyed every five years on certain closed cases.
Pierce's attorney said the kicker is her license was re-instated in 2002, and the state even issued a new one in 2008.
"I told them, I'm not a criminal, wasn't doing anything wrong. I took care of this matter," she said.
Officials at the Department of Motor Vehicles said a license can be re-instated after a drunk-driving charge, regardless of any outstanding criminal charges.
Pierce will be in court for the case next Tuesday.
video at http://www.wftv.com/news/27167243/detail.html
