'Where did my initial money go?': Patton Village residents fed up about tickets from years past

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Eyewitness News first reported about warrants being put out for old traffic tickets in the city of Patton Village two months ago, but some in the community say their problems are still unresolved.

On Wednesday, ABC13 spoke with James Spencer, who says the traffic ticket is 17 years old.

Patton Village says their new court computer system has helped officials flag delinquent cases, but community members who have reached out to ABC13 for weeks say the new system is getting it all wrong.

"I felt really backed into a corner," Spencer said.

Spencer said he received a letter from the Texas Department of Public Safety a few weeks ago saying he couldn't renew his driver's license because of a pending 2007 case in Patton Village.

"It's really aggravating," Spencer said.

In February, Eyewitness News shared the stories of several people who received warrant notices and were going through the same thing as Spencer.

Some said their old traffic tickets were paid off, and others said they were already on payment plans. Many of them didn't keep their old receipts.

Without proof of payment, the city of Patton Village sent Spencer an email stating the court clerk had gone through receipt books and records and said he never paid.

Spencer says they're wrong, but with no proof, he feels he'll have to pay again to avoid more significant issues.

"My question is: How many people have probably paid for tickets two or three times? Where did my initial money go - if it's not in the record? That's my question: who's pocketing that?" Spencer questioned.

In February, ABC13 was the only station to get answers from the city of Patton Village about this ongoing issue; at the time, they said their new court software caused data errors. Some errors sent people who had already paid for their tickets to receive warrant letters.

The city told Eyewitness News that they had limited staff and would take time to resolve the issues.

Two months later, there are few answers or updates, and some frustrated community members say they're still fighting for their innocence.

If you received the warrant notice from Patton Village, you're being asked to send your information via email to their offices at courts@pattonvillage.us.

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