Court Fee Crackdown

 Friday, the State's Attorney's Office summoned 10 people to court.  The goal, is to slowly cash in on some of the 35-million dollars owed to the county.  The fees have added up over the last three decades.  They found that in other counties, the cost of tracking these people down was actually worth it.  So now there's a person who's sole purpose, is to find the ones who owe Champaign County.
    Brett Lemons says he first contacts the people who owe money, and if they don't call back or pay up, then he can take them to court.  That's what happened today. 
    Obviously he can't bring everyone in at once, or the system would back up.  That's why he plans to bring in the groups of ten, twice a month.
   He says he's not a bill collector, but he is out to get the money owed. "This is not a credit card bill or a hospital bill where you had to do that, or you need to use a credit card, or you had to go to the hospital. You broke the law with this.  You were found guilty and were ordered to pay."
   The state's attorney's office created the position at the beginning of the year and already, they've been paid 25-thousand dollars in court fees. Now that may not sound like much when there's 35-million out there to collect, but Lemons say he's prepared to keep chipping away at the debt.
  And for those who are summoned to court, but don't show...it means a warrant for arrest.