First Veteran’s Amnesty Day announced in North Carolina

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —  This afternoon, Judicial Officials from five counties (Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender) in our area announced a regional amnesty day for Veterans and their spouses.

This Friday, May 8th, from 2 to 4 pm in Courtroom 317 at the New Hanover County Courthouse, any current and former military members and their spouses can resolve pending non-violent misdemeanors, failure to pay fines, and other minor traffic matters without fear of arrest.

American Legion District 9 Commander Tom Cerniglia said, “Gentlemen sometimes go into hiding, they are sick, some we have encountered have PTSD or TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury, and they really don’t understand the seriousness of the charges against them even though they are misdemeanors they are still in that system and there are warrants out of them. This will give them an opportunity to become warrantless or reset their court date.”

Dick Gudis served 28 years in the Navy and believes this opportunity is a great thing.

“Patriotism is alive and well here in North Carolina and we are going to make it even better for Veterans,” said Gudis.

According to a press release, matters not resolved during the session will be re-calendared for a later court date in the county of origination. The Salvation Army will operate a shuttle between the Operation Stand Down event at the VFW located at 2722 Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington to the courthouse for the duration of the events.

If you will be participating in the Veteran’s Amnesty Day, you are asked to contact the Clerk of Court where your matter(s) is/are pending so that the files will be in the courtroom. Officials say to be specific regarding the request and list all matters that are pending, especially if there are more than one. If you have matters in multiple counties, contact each Clerk of Court directly.