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The Top 5 Misconceptions about Criminal Warrants in CA

Posted in Criminal Defense,General FAQ'S on February 26, 2020

If you or someone you know has a warrant out for their arrest, you will want to know all of your options. This is a scary experience, and many people think they understand what an arrest warrant means. However, we continually encounter misconceptions regarding arrest warrants, particularly whether or not they can be avoided. Here, we want to discuss some of the most common misconceptions about arrest warrants in order to guide you on the right path.

Top 5 Misconceptions:

1. You can make a run for it

Many people think they can put some distance between then and the jurisdiction of the warrant. This is not true. Running may work for some time, maybe even a while, but most people are caught eventually. In the interim, they are left continually watching over their back. Once a person is caught after running from an arrest warrant, they could face even more charges and incredibly high bonds for release.

2.  I’m out of state, so they cannot get me

It does not matter if you are not located in the state in which the arrest warrant is issued. Police department from state-to-state work with one another, and their systems all communicate with one another. If you are stopped by police in one state, they will discover you have a warrant out for your arrest and take you into custody. If you are taken into custody in another state for a warrant from a different state, you could be extradited.

3. I do not need an attorney because I can just explain this to the judge

Most people think that if they get caught when they are avoiding an arrest warrant, they will be able to explain to the judge why they were gone. They may think they can explain they did not know about the warrant of that they had a good excuse for not showing up. None of this matters. Judges have heard every excuse in the book hundreds of thousands of times. If you hire a criminal defense lawyer, they will be able to file petitions or make arguments on your behalf that the prosecutor or judge will believe. An attorney will also be able to work with family members with arranging payments as well as ways to pay your bond and get you released. They will also work to formulate a plan for you to surrender yourself to authorities while also speaking with the prosecutor about your case.

4. My friend got a deal, so I’ll get the same deal

Many people know someone who was arrested for a similar charge that may have gotten off easy for their case. While this may be the case for that person’s case, that is not the case, every judge and prosecutor is different. Every case is 100% different from the rest. The fact of each case differ, so there is no way to use one case’s outcome to determine how your case might turn out.

5. I can ignore the arrest warrant

In cases of arrest warrants, ignorance is not bliss. You cannot ignore an arrest warrant because it will not go away. For most cases in which a person is arrested on an outstanding warrant, the judge is not going to believe you did not know about it. When you know a warrant is out for your arrest, talk to an attorney, and tackle the issue head-on. Please understand that prosecutors will not lose interest in your case as time goes on. The evidence will not be lost. The case may be on pause, but as soon as you are caught, prosecutors will swing back into action.

When in doubt, contact a Criminal Defense Lawyer

If you or a loved one are facing a warrant for arrest, you should speak to a defense attorney as soon as possible. The best-case scenarios in these situations are finding a way to tackle the warrant head-on so you can get the matter settled and move forward with your life. A skilled criminal defense attorney will be able to help you assess the situation and give you a preliminary idea of your path forward. At the Law Offices of Graham Donath, APC, we are ready to get to work helping you today. You can contact us for a consultation on your case by clicking here or by calling as soon as possible.