While driving home from work, you see the blue lights behind you and realize the lights are for you. You look down at the speedometer and realize you are speeding. You pull over and politely answer the officer’s questions. Little did you know, but your driver’s license had expired, and you failed to get a new one. Also, you forgot to put your new insurance card in the glovebox. The officer prepares a citation for the offenses and hands you a copy which contains a court date. Like many people, you forget your court date and wake up in the middle of the night realizing your mistake. You call the family attorney who looks up the case and tells you the bad news that there is a warrant for your arrest. You panic and expect the police to come knocking on your door at any moment to take you to jail. As soon as you recognize the mistake, you must immediately contact counsel or go to the courthouse to request that the case be placed back on the docket. There are procedures for this process, including a case manager who can assist in getting a new court date. A judge can also review the situation and recall the warrant. The matter will not go away on its own and must be addressed immediately. If the warrant is active and you are pulled over for something else, or involved in an accident, you can get immediately arrested and taken to jail. So, if you get a citation, take it seriously. You need to hire an attorney or appear in court. Otherwise, you may become a guest of the County.
CATEGORIES: Criminal Law