LIMA — Magistrate Richard Warren of Lima Municipal Court told Rotarians on Monday something needs fixed when the state creates a system of fines that makes it nearly impossible for poor people to get their driver licenses back.
Warren sees many people in his court for driving under suspension who are taking a chance getting to work each day just to feed their family.
Driving under suspension is an unclassified misdemeanor that carries up to a $1,000 fine and 500 hours community service. Most of the people who come before him don’t have the money to get their license back so Warren said there would be no benefit in fining them. The court cannot impose community service because it does not have anyone employed to manage such a program, which would cost money to run, he said.
The former Common Pleas Court judge, who retired at the end of 2012 because of a state law not allowing an attorney to run for judge over the age of 70, said his couple of years as magistrate have been an eye-opening experience.
“Think about when you’re going down the road and someone is coming toward you. How many of them have no license and have no insurance?” he said.
He said Ohio law makes it harder, mostly because of expense, to get a license back and to have insurance. People with a history of driving violations also must pay high-risk insurance, something they cannot afford so they go without taking a chance every time they get behind the wheel, Warren said.
“What they have to pay to the state, to me it is not right. It’s almost criminal,” Warren said.
Warren said he often gives advice.
“I tell people to get yourself right and straightened around or you will dig a hole you can’t get out of,” he said. “Call the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and find out what you have to do to get your license back.”
There are millions of dollars in the local Municipal Court in past due fines and fees, something many cannot afford to pay. Even a fine of $50 may not seem like a lot to people such as the Rotarians in the room, Warren said, but to some it’s the difference between putting food on the table or paying the fine. People will choose feeding their children, he said.
Warren proposes a fix to the problem by establishing a monthlong period people could make a one-time payment of $200 to get their license back with all fines waived. He’s also open to suggestions to fix the problem.
“The state would make a killing but the state says we can’t do that. There is such a bureaucracy in Columbus,” he said.
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