Tax warrant from unpaid taxes 5 years ago

I just received a tax warrant from a Connecticut state marshal stating that I owe an unpaid motor vehicle tax on my car from 5 years ago. The tax at the time was $500, and now because of interest and "collection fees," it is $1000. I called the marshal and asked what is happening, why am I receiving this after the fact (I've lived in another state for the past 4 years), and did they try sending warning letters to me in the preceding 5 years before sending this scary sounding tax warrant threatening to garner my wages? The marshal said no, they don't bother sending those and for whatever reason it has just taken the state this long to catch up to my unpaid tax bill. He said I should have known I needed to pay it, so I am still responsible for the entire bill of $1000 including the marshal's collection fees for sending the letter (about $100 or so). This feels very dirty and crooked to me. I always paid my motor vehicle tax when I lived in CT, but 5 years later I don't have any proof to show it. What can I do?