(WMC-TV) - To say the DeSoto County Circuit Clerk's office has a tough job is an understatement.
According to the office, 90 percent of the time criminals do not pay their court fees.
Some fees are roughly 20 to 25 years worth of criminal fines. The fines from felons who have served their time and moved on.
Dale Thompson said many of these people were supposed to start paying once they got out of jail. She said now time is ticking as they have hired a firm to investigate and track them down.
The collection agency called Pioneer is known for recovering unpaid bills. Once someone has missed three payments, they will be sent to the agency.
"They would definitely help themselves if they would pay their fines and get current," said Thompson.
The challenge is that many of the criminals don't live at the address listed in the system. But Thompson said this is exactly why they have hired someone else to track down the overdue fines.
"We just don't have the resources to do it whereas a collection agency does," she said.
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