Originally Posted by
sparklewit
After applying for Pre-Check this week, I learned today that I was rejected because of a Louisiana bench warrant from 12 years ago. I volunteered at a Hurricane Katrina shelter in 2005, so it would have been from then, but???
In the last 12 years I have flown countless times, rented cars, continuously insured my own cars, and had my CA driver's license run at an accident scene, all without ever being made aware of this Louisiana warrant. Unless you cause a disturbance at the airport, apparently you will be fine.
(BTW, I am researching my bench warrant now - I shall be a law abiding citizen again!)
Whatever caused the warrant, it will not go away until you take care of the underlying problem. Whether that is paying a fine by mail or something worse, get it taken care of.
The reason it has not likely been picked up is that nobody is looking for you. But, when you apply for a TTP, DHS runs your criminal history and the active warrant shows up. Same would have happened if you applied for a security clearance, certain licenses and the like. Why? Because somebody did look.
For others who read about these situations, it is always possible that a warrant was issued in error and that somebody other than you made a mistake. But, 99% of the time, there is something you were supposed to do and did not. Those sorts of warrants just sit there forever. Sooner or later, when there becomes a reason to run your record, the warrant shows up. That is why all of those threads on FT advising people to ignore this summons and that court order are foolish. Smallish things become major issues.
Be thankful that this occurred in the context of a Pre-Check denial and not as part of some investigation in the middle of nowhere on a holiday weekend.