Having a warrant of arrest can be a very stressful experience. The three most common reasons a warrant might be out for your arrest are: 1) There is a new charge serious enough for a warrant to be issued for your arrest, 2) You were on probation and your probationary judge issues a warrant alleging that you violated your probation, or 3) You missed a court date and a warrant was issued by a judge at the court date that you missed. The last situation can happen for something as small as a driving on suspended charge.
In any situation where a warrant is out for your arrest, hiring a lawyer can be helpful to help you avoid the situation disrupting your life. If there is a new charge serious enough that a warrant was issued for you, we can start investigating the case right away and discuss options with the prosecutor assigned to the case. The important thing to know is that a warrant for a new charge does not always mean you will be locked up while that new charge is pending. Hiring a lawyer early in the process will ensure that we can represent you at your bail hearing and ensure that you have the best possible chance of fighting your case as a free man or woman.
If you are charged with violating your probation, we can look at the allegations against you and see if there is a way to avoid going to jail while we work with you to address the allegations against you. Again, having a warrant alleging that you violated your probation does not always mean that you will be locked up while your violation of probation hearing is pending. There are often many things that can be done before your hearing to ensure the best possible outcome.
Finally, if you have what is referred to as a “bench warrant” issued by a judge at a court date you missed, we can file a motion explaining to the judge why you missed court. These motions often lead to the warrant being canceled and a new court date being scheduled. Our office is familiar with the most persuasive arguments for why a bench warrant should be withdrawn and has extensive experience with drafting, filing, and successfully arguing that a client should receive a new court date instead of an arrest warrant.
