If you are a fan of any of the law procedural shows that are on television, or have ever watched any kind of crime drama whether on small screen or large, you are probably familiar with what a warrant is. It is what authorizes police to arrest an individual suspected of having committed a crime. An arrest warrant process is initiated by the police. By contrast, a bench warrant is initiated by a judge, and is generated in specific response to a person not appearing in court when they are supposed to, no matter whether the appearance was in answer to a summons over a traffic violation or anything else.

Having a bench warrant issued against you does not mean that you have committed a crime so much as that you have unfinished business in court and the judge wants you to address it. The police will not come looking for you as a result of a bench warrant. Instead, if you have any kind of encounter at all with the authorities, whether that means being pulled over for speeding or going to the DMV for a license renewal, your name will come up in a database and you will be arrested immediately.

What Should You Do If You Are The Subject of a Bench Warrant?

If you are taken into a custody as a result of a bench warrant, you may be asked to pay bond to secure your lease or you may be held in custody until a time slot becomes available with the judge who issued the warrant.  One way or another you are going to end up being brought in front of the judge. It is a good idea to have representation by a criminal law attorney at this meeting, as you will be asked why you didn’t respond to the original request for appearance. If you know that a bench warrant has been issued against you, your best bet is to have your attorney contact the courthouse to find out what the warrant is for and take care of it as quickly as possible. If you dispute the reason for having to see the judge, a criminal law attorney can represent you and act as your advocate.

If you would like to speak to our criminal law attorneys to determine your best course of action, contact our office at your earliest convenience to set up an appointment