Sandusky River Experience -- Trapped!

[wolfgang510]

My wife and I Friday night. We stopped by to fish the Sandusky on our way back to Michigan to visit family for easter. It was our first time going for Walleye in Ohio. I thought I new all the rules, single hook only, limit of 3 over 15 inches. We started fishing around 7pm and walked past a couple officers on our way down to the river. At about 8:15-8:20 the DNR pulls us off the river along with about ten other people and writes us $95 tickets for fishing after hours. He shows us this tiny sign near where we parked that I unfortunately did not read. Then the guy wants to make us pay him immediately so I agree to write a check but he says the office is closed on our way over to it and can't accept check so could we go to Kroger to cash my check. He finally said he was letting us off by allowing us to mail in the payment but that we could get him in a lot of trouble. He said he had to give us a ticket because people sneak down under the bridge and snag tons of eyes in the middle of the night. Anyway it was an obvious money making trap and the whole taking me to kroger thing seemed really weird. Fished in Michigan my whole life and never heard of a species off limits at certain time of day. Come to Ohio and made an honest mistake. Don't have a problem with the regs, just the way they are in forced. Typical example of people trying to follow rules getting tickets and the real criminals escaping. Love the way my wife and I have been welcomed into ohio since we moved here 2 years ago.

A final note: The Ohio DNR advertises fishing on Maummee and Sandusky rivers all over the website without mentioning fishing hours, which I think is deliberate since it is such a unique form of regulation that out of towners won't think of. Also a local guy came down and said he sees them trapping people all the time like what happened to us.

[sevenmmm]

Find out who his supervisor is and report this guy insisting on cash. Hopefully it's just a individual problem and not a agency wide policy.

[Erie bud]

Actually the regulation is in the law -- it is your responsibility to read the laws. Why rag on Ohio and DNR when you broke the law? MI has very complicated laws due to their salmon fishing -- do you ignore them? I don't cause MI wardens are just as tough as ohio wardens -- they're trying to protect the resources. If he forced you to pay cash, call ODNR and report him.

[L. Rat]

Your wrong Rick.

Taking cash is not taboo as long as receipts are issued. This is a matter of bond in all states for a legal infraction. In Wisconsin you are required to post via a check (matter of policy), money order or credit card and they may also take cash as long as a receipt is provided. This is done with all non-state residents as if you do not, you will not likely be able to collect later when they fail to show up. Wisconsin residents can be picked up on warrants and transported by the issuing county, but in another state it would require a criminal act, extradition and etc... So, if residents of other states refuse to come back, then WI. does not collect.

Each state may vary a bit, but most are similar. And yes, if they fail to pay, you are supposed to hold them for an appearance in front of a judge in WI. and I suppose the same in all other states. The warden sounds as if he did his best to comply with policy but in the end could not bring himself to lock someone up over such a minor violation as required by law and policy. Yes he can be in trouble. If you refuse to pay, he will be in trouble and so will you if you ever go back to Ohio.

After issuing the citation, he did you a favor by not holding you until you could get in front of a judge.

[Shep]

"Don't have a problem with the regs, just the way they are in forced"

May I reword this for you? This is what you really are saying.

"Don't have a problem with the regs, just the fact they are enforced when I don't follow them."

As stated, it is in the regs. It is your responsibility to read and follow the regs. You didn't, and got caught. Sorry, but that is the way it is.

Tight Lines All,

Shep

[Toolman]

L Rat is on the money . Rather than screw around with a possible "Failure to Appear" and then issue a warrant (which by now has cost the DNR lots of $$ in time and probably a lost the fine $$) they can get payment on the spot.

BTW the fishing regs clearly state that fishing is not allowed in designated river areas from sunrise to sunset. Sorry about your luck.

[wolfgang510]

If any of you can't see this as a money making trap you should apply for jobs with the ODNR. We are Ohio residents, have been for 2 years. Yes Michigan has complicated regulations in some areas but they do not have time closings. I just believe that people trying to follow rules don't deserve to be fined but that the people purposefully breaking them do. We walked right by the DNR on our way down to the river. All they had to say to us and the other 10 out of towners was "fishing hours are up" at 8:07 and we all would have left. The law is to protect the spawning walleye and if that were the goal of the ODNR in Fremont they would advertise the regulations better, get people on there side and help eradictate the poachers. They sure haven't given me much motivation to call the poaching hotline. I know that technically I should know every single regulation printed in the books but I freely admit that I don't. I read the regs and follow them as best as I can, but I'm not going to reread them every single time I decide to fish somewhere. I think it is reasonable to ask people to understand that first time Walleye fisherman who grew up in Michigan accidently overlooked the no fishing after sundown rule and deserve a warning or some kind of probation. Hopefully the judge will agree but he is probably in on the whole money making operation.

[Western Walleye Editor]

wolf -

I agree that this was a little ugly and it would not have hurt for them to mention it was closed already when you were heading down. However on your statement that you don't reread the regs whenever you go out, I think you should rethink that. It doesn't take long to flip open the regs to the location you are heading to see if there are special rules. I do that everytime I go someplace new and every year! When I go to the lake this weekend where we have had a cabin since the mid 70's, I will read the regs to see what has changed. Maybe it will save me from being in your situation...

Honsie

[bob oh]

Come on wolfgang, they're trying to protect the resource, the snaggers have a field day at night !!!!!

[Tom B]

Mille Lacs also has springtime night fishing restrictions. It's getting to the place where many lakes and rivers have specific regs that differ from the rest. If fishing a new area it is best to contact the local DNR office and ask.

Tom B

[Marble Eyes]

Well, maybe fate with grace this officer with a ticket in Michigan for doing 71 in a 70 mph speed zone.

[wolfgang510]

I don't wish for that to happen to the officer. I just wish that tickets went to snaggers at night, not to people that headed down to the river and fished from 7 to 8:20pm.

No, I don't want to read the regs every time I head out because time is so limited and when we got to fremont it was already late and we were in a hurry to get down to the water. I thought I knew all the rules and I believe we made a reasonable mistake and deserve a warning, not a large fine. Have any of you ever made a mistake or is this a site of Walleye Fishing Saints.

[MK]

"Well, maybe fate with grace this officer with a ticket in Michigan for doing 71 in a 70 mph speed zone."

Exactly! My faith in the natural order of things would be revived if these mindless drones that trap nearly-innocent people for nothing more than revenue-enhancement schemes would get caught in a similar web. 71 in a 70 is just as much a "crime" as fishing a few minutes past closing hours. So would the people that think the fine for this particular offense was warranted be happy if they got a speeding ticket for 71 in a 70? No complaining now. A law was broken. Lets face it, its about money and not "protecting the resources". As some of the states try to recover from the financial crisis they've put themselves into, they are going after every dime they can squeeze from anybody. If they're concerned about the "resources" go after the over limit/size criminals.

Its called discretion. The CO has the discretion to warn these type of "offenders" and not hold them up for cash. And if these "public servants" had a conscience, they would remind anglers going out to watch their time.

[L. Rat]

The issue is about the citation, and then it gets clouded up by how the ticket was to be paid and then the warden lets him go, with the bond unposted. The warden did what he could and more than he should have on letting the bond money slide.

I get tired of hearing lame excuses for why people screw up and then claim they have no time, or forget to do something or then expect a warning as if a warden is supposed to know the difference between a plot to fish illegally and accidental illegal fishing. The point is that rather than leave those things up to a warden, they expect him to issue citations and let the arguement go to the judge, where the fairness and motives can be discussed.

My advice is to expect a citation whenever you screw-up, make a mistake or do anything intentionally that is illegal. And making sure you do all that you can to be legal is YOUR responsibility, not the enforcers or the courts or the tax payers.

How do so many manage NOT to break that law if it is so obscure? Answer is that they do what is necessary, do not count on someone giving them free tips on the way to the water and understand who's responsibility it is to revue regulations.

Also, it is not the wardens responsibility onsite, to tell you about the rules. If they did, they would spend more time running around advising the public of what rules not to break instead of enforcing them. It also sets a precedence of having to inform people before they can cite them for a violation, just because they are there to stop the violation before it occurs. Imagin how that would work for poaching deer or other game, or drug enforcement and etc...

One last thing. If everyone who claimed they should get a warning, got one, then nobody would ever receive a citation.

[Whitetip]

CMON! This is a business!! That Gomer Pyle of a officer could have said something to wolf! Also being with his wife and all, that is a plain out lowlife. If it is the night time snaggers they are worried about, then the bulk of the officers should be out at night!! The reason they dont want to be out all night is they are to tired and want to be home under their blankys with their hands between their legs! Plus at night they may get a few trebles in the face and thus they become the walleye! He needs a few rotten walleye shoved under his car seat.

[bigfish1965]

I still can't get over the fact you have to pay up front. This makes the warden your judge and jury as well. In Canada you will NEVER have to pay up front even if you're from Timbuktoo.Everyone is innocent untill proven guilty. Having to pay up or be dragged to the local court, which is inevitably closed until Monday, is the most ridiculous thing ever. That's the part that makes it a money grab. Innocent people Shang-Hai'd into paying cash before a conviction is registered. Nice work if you can get it.

[swantucky]

Its too bad you got a ticket wolf but around the Maumee you almost don't have to wear a watch, about 3 minutes before the end of fishing time there is a mass exodus of fisherman from the water. 3 weeks ago I called to my buddies that legal time was up and we all left, but 2 guys looked at us and kept fishing, needless to say they got a ticket. I wondered if a warning may be in order but after thinking about it I realized if they gave warnings for the first offence alot of guys would fish past time untill they got their warning. I got a speeding ticket in michigan a few years back and since I was from ohio the officer told me I could post $100 bond, surrender my drivers liscence or go to jail untill monday to go before the judge, needless to say I did not have the $100 so I ggave up my d.l. it took 2 months to get it back even after my fines were paid. So ohio is not the only state that requires a bond from out of towners. As far as the walleye run being a money maker who knows ?? They bring in officers from all over the state (who have to be paid and put up in motels) I think they would have to write alot of tickets just to cover the cost. I don't know how many they write but it is nowhere near enough, I am not saying you are one of the bad ones by any means, you just made a mistake but I cannot tell how many illegal fish I see taken every year. I know I should report them but if I reported every one I would never get a chance to fish myself. I bet I have seen at least 30 illegal fish taken already this year. Sorry you got caught up in it but they have to be tough or it would become a free for all. Sorry I got so long winded but I am down there almost daily and see what the wardens are up against.

[Rob Stratton]

My question is.........If the true goal is to protect the fishery, then why not post a VERY LARGE sign?

[Shep]

Wolf,

I find your attitude on not reading the regs for that particular body of water inexcuseable. I just got done fishing 4 different systems in the past 5 days. Each one had different size, slot, bag limits, and trolling/no troliing regs. I had to take the time to read the regs, or I would have been setting myself up for a violation.

Maybe the warden could have mentioned it you. And Yup, that would have saved you a citation. But, that is like suggesting the warden telling the poacher before he takes a shot at a deer decoy, that shooting from a vehicle is illegal! How many poachers would be caught and fined.

I can't answer for the bond issue, as I'm sure all states have their own rules and procedures. But what I will say, is if you have a problem like this with ODNR, you might think twice about fishing and hunting in other states and Canada.


Tight Lines All,

Shep

[Erie bud]

uh Rob, it is IN the REGULATIONS, do they need to post a big sign on every boat telling you what the limit is?? No, you read the regs and know what it is. It is YOUR responsibility to know the law -- remember what responsibility is?? Most people have forgotten.

bud

[Juls_OH]

>A final note: The Ohio DNR advertises fishing on Maummee and
>Sandusky rivers all over the website without mentioning
>fishing hours, which I think is deliberate since it is such a
>unique form of regulation that out of towners won't think of.
>Also a local guy came down and said he sees them trapping
>people all the time like what happened to us.
>

Make a phone call to the ODNR and have them add the "hours" to the website, and tell them that because they didn't have the times listed there, when you checked it before going fishing, it cost you a fine and some embarrassment. Don't get angry at the person on the phone either...THAT will get you nowhere. Rather, just stay calm and explain your position, and your side of the story. You might get the fine reduced or deleted if they believe you didn't intend to break any laws. I agree that the officer could have warned you since you passed him on the way down to the river.

You might want to discuss this with the officers supervisor, while you have them on the phone, and tell him what the officer did. It might, or might not be their normal practice of getting payment.
Wanting only cash sounds pretty fishy to me, but it's not beyond possibility.

It wouldn't hurt to make a phone call.
Chalk it up to a lesson learned the hard way...and unfair way.

Juls
No, we're not walleye saints here at WC...but we do have "guest users"!! wink wink... Just ignore the bashers.
Good Luck!

[CJHughes]

Hey you are lucky he didn't take your rod and reel for his use later asking for CASH what a PUNK the DNR is ! They should stop all fishing on the REEFS at night also if it isn't allowed on the river NO DIFFERENCE . CASH what a bunch of NAZI PUNKS

[Papascott]

Wolfgang it is on their website in bold letters http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/News/walleyerun04.htm

Scott

[Papascott]

Scroll down near the bottom to the special regs for maumee and sandusky section. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/Fishing/fishregs/default.htm#sitespecific

[HOOK-N-BOOK]

Special Regulations for Maumee, Portage, Mahoning and Sandusky Rivers and Bays

The following regulation is in effect from March 1 to May 1: Fishing is allowed from sunrise to sunset only in the following areas when posted with signs: (1) the Maumee River from the Ohio Turnpike bridge to the Old Waterville interurban bridge at the end of Forst Road in Wood County and from the St. Rt. 578 bridge to the Grand Rapids Providence dam; (2) the Portage River from St. Rt. 19 to the dam at Elmore; (3) the Mahoning River from the dam at Berlin Lake to Lake Milton; and (4) the Sandusky River from where the Toledo Edison power line, Old Ballville and Fifth St. Line, crosses the Sandusky River at the southeast corner of Roger Young Park in Fremont to the northern tip of Brady’s Island. All fishing is prohibited in the Sandusky River from the Ballville dam to the Toledo Edison power line, Old Ballville and Fifth St. Line, at the southeast corner of Roger Young Park in Fremont when posted with signs.

FYI...It is restricted from SUNSET TO SUNRISE...which means the time varys on a daily basis when the period of daylight lengthens and also with day light sayings time.

Good Luck and be safe...See Ya! :)

[Fishing Fred]

I would say that "Officer Gomer Pyle" was very lenient with you. ODNR policy says that if an out-of-stater is caught in a violation the officer has a couple of options. Option 1 is that they get the violater to post a bond, this is to ensure the violators presence in court. If officers did not do this they would spend all of their time serving bench warrants, and puting themselves in undue harm. Option 2 is take the violator to jail, where they will sit until their court date. So I would say your lucky you and your wife did not go to jail. Also, if the ODNR were all about making money, your wife would have receive a citaion also. So quit your whining, you were in violation of a law and you got caught. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Happy fishing, read the regs, FRed

[Juls_OH]

Well, whattaya know... Yep, it's there...plain as day. HHmmmmm....
Thanks for the link Papascott.

Juls

[wolfgan510]

I realize some of you may not have read everything entirely. I am an Ohio Resident but the officer said cleveland is far enought away that he wanted immediate payment. I do read the regs. I do lots of reading. There are too many to keep track of. I am not a Walleye fisherman. This was my first time ever and we stopped by the river for a little over an hour. I did enough research to know the limit was 3 and that it was single hook only. I just didn't expect a closing time at sundown and I overlooked the rule by accident. When your not looking for something its amazing how hard it is to find and how obvious it is when you are looking. It is not even dark at sundown. What I mean about reading regs is that I might not always have time to go over them with a fine comb before every outing. I know I am not alone in this. I bet if I gave a quiz to people I met outfishing they would be mistaken about tons of details. I was in a archery shop last fall and you should have heard the debate 6 or seven guys in the store were having about deer regulations. 3 of them worked there and sold licenses and you would not believe by how much these guys disagreed. I've found fishing to be the same. If I'm in doubt about size and limits I don't keep any fish. I also know that the hours are posted on the website, I just wish it would have been made more prominent. For those that sympathize with me for accidentally falling into a money making trap, thank you and wish me luck in court.

[Juls_OH]

Good luck Wolf...;-)

By the way, did you ever tell us if you caught any fish? Did you at least have some fun before you got stopped?

Just wondering..

Juls

[wolfgan510]

Know, we didn't know what we were doing to well. I did foul hook around a 20 inch male and saw others catch fish, a couple big females. I'll be back better prepared with better setups and presentation. Seems to be plenty of fish there since many people had them on stringers!

[esoxlucius]

How times have changed. Use to be people were ashamed of being irresponsible. These days they complain of the consequences they face as a result of their irresponsibility and then blame law enforcement. Just where is law enforcement to draw the line? Frankly I'm glad you got busted. There is no absolutely no excuse. Lets hope you learn a lesson. Read and obey the regs. It's a no brainer.

[Juls_OH]

Too bad. Well, better luck next time!

Good luck!

Juls

[wolgan510]

Ever made a mistake? I freely admit that I have. Its common sense and reasonable people I favor. Also the persecution of real intentional law breakers. You sound about as arrogant and stubborn as the fish you named yourself after. I hope you fall into a trap yourself one day so then you can learn what its like and understand the need for things to change to better protect the natural resources and reward the people that care about them.

[Shellback]

Wolfgan, I feel your pain brother. Seems others are such know alls and could never make a mistake. You made a honest mistake and made a public post about it, no need to ridicule you over it. In PA, you get a digest with your license, but it states it's not the full set of laws, just a summary. We've got WCO that can't agree on regs. You can call the district Fish Comm office and get different responses when you talk to different officers. Some WCO's are great guys, and some are jerks, you got the jerk! JMHO

[tuner]

My goodness we are holier than thou aren't we? I think anybody that let someone walk by without telling them the straight goods is a power hungry jerk. The "law" was put in place to catch/stop snaggers, not fishermen. It automatically prejudges anyone who is fishing after hours as a snagger. I thought we were innocent until proven guilty. Does nobody other than me see it this way? Stupid laws like this just end up creating more ways to catch otherwise good people rather than catch the law breakers.

[Leech]

Wolf:
Don't worry about some of the imbiciles on this site. With the adoption of individual lake and river management, regulations have become much harder to understand and follow. It's a balancing act, with the best intentions for each fishery in mind. The down side is that laws can become cumbersome and are often not intuitive. If the purpose of this particular law is to stop snaggers, then I guess the law failed in this instance, in my opinion. You were not out to snagg, were you?
Again, the self rightous on this site will smile while you fry, but watch them squeal when they get caught in a pickle! Leechboy has spoken. -lb

[Judge Roy Bean]

How dare such a scofflaw come complainin' here! We perfect folk dont tolerate such whinin'.

Shoot'em. Then fine'em. Then hang'em. While your at it, confiscate his fishin tackle and divide it up amongst those of us who's never broken a law!

[esoxlucius]

Ya, I made a "mistake" in traffic once-it cost me 300 bucks. I paid, did't blame law enforcement, and did't do it again. No excuses, whining, or complaining. It was no ones fault but my own. Do the crime, do the time (or fine) and don't whine, (it's so whimpy).

[sg113]

Wolf,

Wasn't it still daylight out when you started fishing. What obligation would the warden have to tell you not to go fishing when at the time you were probably legal to be doing it. It was only after you would have fished past sunset that you were committing an illegal act. If they waited until after 8:00 PM it sounds like they were giving ample time for you to quit fishing and comply with the regs. Ultimitely, in almost all of our daily activities we are governed by laws and regulations and it is soley your responsibility to know what those laws are for the activity that you are involved in. If they do have a particularily bad time with snaggers in that area, the ODNR has probably taken a "zero tolerance" approach and has by policy dictated that anyone caught violating that regulation will be cited. If there were still 10 people there at the time, then it sounds like there may be a problem. Educating the public of the laws is a very important law enforcement tool, and at times a warning can go a lot further than a citation, but in some instances, strictly enforcing a law is the best deterence.

His request for "payment" of the citation is very common practice in Law Enforcement, it's called a bond. That money is not actually forfeited until there is a convicion for the offense. It is intended soley to insure you 1. show up for the court date listed on the citation or 2. if you fail to show up for the court date, the forfeiture amount is paid and warrants will not need to be issued. You may be a resident of the state, but you may not have any local ties to that community. In Wisconsin, many counties will require bonds be paid if the violater is not from that particular county. Most Law Enforcement agencies will not accept payment by check either. Some have the capability to take credit cards, but many do not. Paying it by cash is completely acceptable as long as a receipt is issued, but many agencies ask that it not be done in the field, for the very reason you have started this post. People think the officer is "pocketing" the money. Actually it sounds like the warden may have violated policy by not requiring you to post bond, just so you wouldn't be overly inconvienenced for a "minor" infraction. In my jurisdiction, overly inconvienced means a full custodial arrest, taken to jail and held until the bond can be posted or the person sees the circuit judge.

Sorry to get so long winded, but if you haven't guessed it by now, I am an Officer and I do get a little defensive when people trash law enforcement officers without hearing the other side. I do empathize with you for receiving the citation. I was not there and I am not familiar with ODNR's policies, but many police policies are very common through out the country. One thing to remember, if you do feel that you have been unfairly cited you can take your case to trial. If you feel that the wardens actions were out of line, contact his supervisor and find out if he acted inappropriately. If he did, I'll bet his supervisor would like to know. If he didn't, the supervisor will most likely explain there policies to you.

STG113

[bigfish1965]

"His request for "payment" of the citation is very common practice in Law Enforcement, it's called a bond. That money is not actually forfeited until there is a convicion for the offense. It is intended soley to insure you 1. show up for the court date listed on the citation or 2. if you fail to show up for the court date, the forfeiture amount is paid and warrants will not need to be issued. You may be a resident of the state, but you may not have any local ties to that community. In Wisconsin, many counties will require bonds be paid if the violater is not from that particular county. Most Law Enforcement agencies will not accept payment by check either. Some have the capability to take credit cards, but many do not. Paying it by cash is completely acceptable as long as a receipt is issued, but many agencies ask that it not be done in the field, for the very reason you have started this post. People think the officer is "pocketing" the money. Actually it sounds like the warden may have violated policy by not requiring you to post bond, just so you wouldn't be overly inconvienenced for a "minor" infraction. In my jurisdiction, overly inconvienced means a full custodial arrest, taken to jail and held until the bond can be posted or the person sees the circuit judge."

No offense SG, but thats a load of horse hockey. WE get far more tourists here than in Wisconsin and we never require a bond for a simple ticket offense.It is paramount to extortion.The county knows full well that once the 100 bucks is surrendered the accused is not likely to show, since they have already been 'defeated'. A simple 'set fine' ticket has the same effect and doesn't result in travellers getting locked up over night if they don't carry cash. Locking someone up to ensure they pay their 100 dollar fine is not only heavy handed but not cost-effective either. Keeping someone until a JOP can be found will cost the county more than they can get from the ticket. It's just plain wrong to demand money for someones freedom in a non-criminal matter.I can't believe the general populace tolerates it.So the person doesn't show and you have to get a bench warrant. They'll come around again.Our provinces share such info and items like drivers licenses cannot be renewed if there is an outstanding debt in any jurisdiction.Yes the guy was wrong for violating the law. But demanding a surety is not the job of an officer of the law.Even in non-violent criminal matters the Crowns office must show that there is some flight risk before a judge will order bail/bond.

[wolfgang510]

I started my post mainly to state my opinion that I made a small error and that the DNR should understand how easy it was for someone like me to overlook the reg. Having to pay did not seem right but maybe thats the way it is. It was just weird how first he said we could go to pay a check at some office and half way there stopped and said they are closed and can't take a check. Thats when he wanted cash. Anyway, I think the worst thing remains the ODNR setting up a trap for out of towners so they can make money. If the court has no mercy, I'll pay no prob. There will be plenty of room for corruption and creating little schemes to make more money without actually breaking the law in my future career, which starts in a couple years, but hopefully I'll forget this experience rather than gain ideas from it to increase my personal wealth at the expense of others. Want to start a mock pool about what the judge will say next week?

[Marble Eyes]

IMHO the Law in the country has gone from Keeping the peace to revenue generation.

I am sure a huge increase of population and attitude changes has caused it, however the mentality that we are all criminals that haven't been caught yet and the pressure to fill quotas drive the
more enforcemnet efforts than anything.

[stg113]

Actually, in some areas the courts, not police agencies require bond be paid before they may go free. Most police don't want to have to deal with taking bond from non-residents, but for cost saving reasons, the courts will demand bond be paid before release. Wisconsin has a statute that allows for full custodial arrest for a non-criminal forfeiture. There was a recent US Supreme Court ruling that said it is constitutional to do so and many states have laws that specifically mention it. (By the way, the US Supreme Court case had to do with a woman being arrested for a seat belt ticket in Texas). Basically, for non-residents there is nothing that can be done if they fail to make a court appearance on non-criminal forfeiture matters. They cannot be extridited from out of state for these matters and if they never return to the state, nothing will ever come of it.

It has nothing to do with the number of tourists that you have come to your area. It has to do with insuring that people return to for future court appearances.