If there is a warrant for your arrest, you should act quickly to get it resolved. You should contact a bonding office. They may be able to check into the matter and see where there is a warrant and if there is a bond on the warrant. If there is a bond, you can turn yourself into the county where there is a warrant or any county and you are able to bond out.
If there is no bond hold on the warrant–which sometimes is the case in domestic violence cases or probation violations, you must see a Judge for bond to be set. You should contact an attorney in cases where there is no bond hold to discuss whether hiring an attorney makes sense and when to hire the attorney.
Some counties have court on weekends. If you are sitting in jail on a weekend and don’t get to see a judge, you will see a Judge the first opportunity during the week–Monday morning. I always suggest bonding out before even thinking about the case. Some counties or municipal courts attempt to get the matters resolved with a “deal you can’t refuse.” Don’t do it. Don’t plea with the stress of jail. You don’t know what the evidence shows. You don’t know whether there is enough evidence to charge you let alone to convict you. Bond out and hire a lawyer to handle the case.
I often receive the call saying “I was in jail and took the deal and now I have to be on probation, I have lost my gun rights, I have violated a deferred judgment. . . .” Get the advice from a lawyer. There is often little that can be done once you enter a plea while sitting in jail.
There are always issues with warrants and getting them resolved is the best course of action. You don’t want an officer to come to your work, you don’t want to be pulled over taking your kids to the dentist and you don’t want to be picked up during a dinner party at your house. Take the steps necessary to get the warrant resolved and get a lawyer to help you to care of the matter.
