Driving without a license

[wasabitakoyaki]

Hello,

This is my first post, I have checked out some of the other posts on this site and have been searching the web for info about this situation but I have not found anything that exactly matches my situation. I am a complete newbie to any law related things so please go easy on my ignorance.

I am a Japanese national who is here on a F-1 visa for school. I got a ticket for driving without a license in 2004
in Alhambra, California because I was driving with a expired temporary license and got stopped at a police check point and my car was towed. Anyways, my English was pretty bad at the time since I had only been in the States for just over one year. I kind of knew I had to go to court but because my English was not very good and my ignorance of the legal system for the United States I didn't go to court. To be honest I didn't even read the ticket and just put it away and forgot about it.
I little later though I got an extension but then failed to appear in court and procrastinated on it until I forgot about it.
Since that time I have moved to New York City and continued my education at a school there.

Recently after talking to a friend who was receiving mail for me, I was told about a warrant that came in the mail for my arrest. I called the Alhambra court and tried to see if I could just pay any fines involved but they said I needed to go to court to resolve the ticket. It was a little odd though because if I went through the automatic payment system it gave me options to pay but if I talked to a person they told me I would have to go to court.

Since I live in New York City now and because I am a F-1 visa international student who is not allowed to work I can not afford the travel costs to go to court in California. I am trying to write a letter to the Alhambra court to explain my situation but I am really at a loss for how I should word the letter and what I should put in the letter. I am very much willing to plead guiltily, I just want to get this situation resolved without having to go to court in California.

If anyone can help me out that would be really great.

[ezrhythm]

One option might be to contact the court in Alhambra and ask what the bail amount is and see if they will allow you to surrender it in exchange for dismissing the matter. The bail amount (for unlicensed driving) last I checked is $1000.

Another option is to do nothing about it for now as it should not interfere with your student visa and your ability to attend school in New York. It is a bench warrant and they won't go looking for you or ask New York to send you to California. At this time I believe it may only prevent you from obtaining a driver's license in any of the 50 states unless of course you were to return to California, get stopped and have a warrant check run on your legal name.

There are other options. Maybe others will chime in.