Experts explain that a motorist in New Jersey ignore's a parking tickets at their own peril. Watch video
PRINCETON - Imani Perry's arrest last Saturday stemming from unpaid parking tickets in Princeton has left some wondering how a simple parking ticket could lead to handcuffs for anyone.
But ignore parking tickets at your peril, officials say, because while one won't land you with a warrant, two will.
And the process may take months, as Perry's did, but it will end with a warrant for your arrest.
Perry, a professor of African American studies at Princeton University, was arrested on a 3-year-old outstanding warrant stemming from two tickets she received in November and December of 2012. The warrant was discovered by Princeton police who stopped Perry on Mercer Road for driving 67 mph in a 45 mph zone.
A copy of the warrant issued by Princeton for the arrest of Imani Perry on March 7, 2013.The notices go to the last address that the motor vehicles department has on record and sometimes people say they never received the notices because they had moved to another address, Gusciora said.
Under state law, two unpaid tickets - not just one -- will trigger an arrest warrant, Princeton's municipal prosecutor Reed Gusciora said. (Gusciora is also the democratic state Assemblyman from Mercer County).
"Anyone who says one ticket can lead to an arrest is in error,'' Gusciora said.
On the back of every parking ticket is a court date, usually two or three weeks from the infraction date, according to Susan Shapiro, Princeton municipal court administrator.
If tickets aren't paid or contested in court on that date, a Failure to Appear notice is sent out, alerting the person to a second-chance court date, Reed said.
For those with an out-of-state license, the process of getting the notice out can take longer while the police and the out-of-state departments of motor vehicles coordinate to get the correct address, Shapiro explained.
If the tickets are unpaid or uncontested after the second court date, a second notice is sent out, alerting the person that a warrant may be issued by another date, about another two or three weeks out, Gusciora said.
Finally, if the third date passes, an arrest warrant is issued, Gusciora said.
In Perry's case, Shapiro said, the first Princeton parking ticket was issued on November, 22, 2012, with a first court date of Dec. 10, 2012. That date passed with no response from Perry, Shapiro said.
A second ticket for a separate parking violation was issued on Dec. 13, 2012. A failure to appear notice went out for both tickets on Feb. 15, setting a second-chance court date for both tickets on Feb. 28, 2013, Shapiro said.
When that date passed, a warrant was issued on March 7, 2013, Shapiro said.
"It's not the court's fault if the address is wrong,'' Gusciora said. "You are required by law to change your address with motor vehicles.''
On the video of Perry's arrest released by the Princeton police on Thursday, Perry told the arresting officer that her current address was different than the one on her license.
Gusciora said police do not begin looking for anyone who has an outstanding warrant.
"It's when you're pulled over for something else,'' Gusciora said. "She (Perry) was driving 67 in a 45. That's not inconsequential.''
Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.