Don’t know what to get Mom? Take care of your warrants before Mother’s Day

Getting charged with a crime is never fun, but with Mother’s Day approaching, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department is aiming to make the process as painless as possible.

On Saturday, the day before the holiday, anyone with an outstanding warrant can get it taken care of between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Greater St. Luke’s Baptist Church, at 5213 Farrow Road.

Lott is billing the day as a way to “Make Momma Proud.”

For past Mother’s Days, the sheriff’s department has concentrated on rounding up folks with unpaid child support. This year will have more of a focus on helping people move forward with their lives, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. People with outstanding arrest warrants can have them served, get a court date and post bond, all without going to jail.

“Instead of going and locking people up, we want to help them out by giving them a chance to come in and get these warrants they’ve got hanging over their heads cleared up so they can go spend time with their mothers on Mother’s Day,” Lott said.

Anyone who shows up can bring an attorney or even their mother, Lott said. For those who don’t have an attorney, someone from the public defender’s office will be on hand to help.

In addition to getting folks cleared to spend the holiday with family, there’s a longer-term focus – helping them be ready for employment opportunities. Representatives from various organizations will be present to work with people on that.

“They can’t move forward on jobs, get jobs, because they’re constantly on the run,” Lott said. “This gives them an opportunity for a new start.”

Officials are expecting between 100 to 200 people Saturday. Many suspects who turn themselves in will be granted a personal recognizance bond, meaning they will be released on their promise to appear in court later.

“A lot of people might have a bad check warrant or a failure to go in and pay a traffic ticket,” Lott said. “These are things that shouldn’t be penalizing them their whole life.”

People with warrants for more serious charges might not get a personal recognizance bond, Lott said – but when setting bond, the court will take into consideration that suspects turned themselves in.

The sheriff urged folks with outstanding warrants to get them taken care of for their mothers’ sake.

“We’ve all been blessed with a mom who loves us in good times and bad times,” Lott said. “This is your opportunity to make her proud, and she’ll see you’re doing something positive.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 7:36 AM with the headline "Don’t know what to get Mom? Take care of your warrants before Mother’s Day."