FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Washington County is seeing an increase in missed court dates, causing a backlog of cases.
On Thursday, Jan. 6, the Washington County Prosecutor's Office organized an event to help clear that backlog. Officials say they've seen an uptick in no-show cases for court dates since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
The warrant clinic held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville provided resources for those who have outstanding warrants.
“This is an opportunity for those individuals who may have not had transportation or may have gotten their court dates confused to show up without the concern of being arrested and taken to jail," said Washington County Prosecuting Attorney, Matt Durrett. "The big goal here is to either get people back on the docket or resolve as many cases as we can."
Security and police were not present in order to help make people feel more comfortable with coming forward to ask for help.