It can be hard to get through daily life if you’re constantly in fear of being arrested on an active warrant. Let’s discuss how you can know for sure whether or not there is a warrant out for your arrest and what steps you should take after finding out this crucial information.
Types of Warrants
There are two different types of warrants: arrest and bench warrants. A judge may issue an arrest warrant if there is probable cause that an individual has committed a crime, or is planning to commit a crime.
A bench warrant is a bit less serious. A bench warrant can be issued for multiple reasons, including:
- The defendant missed a court date
- The defendant violated probation
- Failure to pay a fine
- Failure to pay child support
With an arrest warrant, the police will actively seek out the defendant to bring them into custody. With a bench warrant, there is usually no active search. Instead, if the police, by chance, end up interacting with the individual with the bench warrant, they will arrest them then. For example, pulling over a driver for speeding and finding that they have a bench warrant.
Checking Your Warrant Status
Individuals are rarely alerted if there is a warrant out for their arrest. This helps law enforcement keep the element of surprise, and so there is nothing that pushes the suspect to run or skip town. However, there are a couple of ways that you can check your warrant status without speaking to law enforcement.
First, you can check online. Florida has a “Wanted Persons” search where you can input your personal information. Click here to visit the page. However, there is a disclaimer at the bottom of this page saying you cannot take this information as absolute fact that you have an active warrant.
Your other option is contacting an attorney. Your attorney can look further into the matter to confirm whether or not you have a warrant. If they determine that there is a warrant out for your arrest, they can help work with you to get the warrant quashed before proceeding.
Miami Arrest Warrants Attorneys
If you know or suspect that there is a warrant out for your arrest, our team at Hager & Schwartz, P.A. is here to help you. We understand that this is a stressful experience, and you may feel panicked. We want to help make the process of handling your warrant as stress-free as possible.