Did you get a citation at the gathering?

Updated 7/16/25 at 1 PM Central Time. 

 For those who received a citation from the Forest Service, please read.  This is based on what we learned from the citations issued in California 2024. I can't guarantee everything will be identical, but it does seem to be so.

 Most of the citations issued read "Mandatory Court Appearance" but did not list a court date. The citation indicated you would be mailed a court date.

In approximately 2-4 weeks, you can go to the website listed on the back of the ticket, enter your citation # and additional information and then the website will list how much the ticket costs.   

For most of these tickets, there will be a dollar amount listed that you can pay before your court date in lieu of going to court in Springfield, Missouri or possibly St. Louis, Missouri. 

If you want to fight your ticket, you will have to go to your court date for arraignment. In 2024, we had to appear in person for arraignment. However, you can call the Clerk of the Court for more information.

An arraignment is a hearing at which a person accused of a crime is called before the court to hear the charges against him and to plead guilty or not guilty.

If you do not want to plead "not guilty" then you can pay your fine online. If you chose this option, make sure to select  COLLATERAL FORFEITURE, which means you are not admitting guilt and nothing goes on your record.  BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU SELECT OPTIONS ON THE WEBSITE so that you get the option you want.

If you are going to pay, do so a few days before your court date, or the judge may not know you paid and issue a warrant for your arrest.    

I heard rumor that some people were assigned court dates this week, but was unable to verify this while I was at the gathering.

No matter what you decide is in your best interests, there is a formal process for all this and if you deviate from the formal process it will probably bite you in the ass. 

I am happy to answer more questions if you have them.  Leave a comment on this post. If you leave a way to get in contact with you, I will reach out.  If you want to get connected with an attorney who can talk to you about this, email me.