I have a warrant in Hempstead County, Arkansas for controlled substance, speeding, and reckless driving. I live in Dallas, and I’m not sure how to take care of this. Anyone know how I can handle this situation? I haven’t been contacted by law enforcement yet, but I’m really worried about what to do next.
Hey, I think the first step is to figure out if it’s a bench warrant or an arrest warrant. If it’s a bench warrant (for missing a court date), you might be able to file a motion to quash it. But if it’s an arrest warrant, you’ll probably have to deal with it in person at some point. I’m guessing you’d have to show up in Arkansas to get booked unless you can get it quashed without showing up, which is tough.
@Kiernan
So, like, what’s a bench warrant vs an arrest warrant? I’m not too clear on the difference.
Lennon said:
@Kiernan
So, like, what’s a bench warrant vs an arrest warrant? I’m not too clear on the difference.
A bench warrant is issued when someone fails to appear for a court date. An arrest warrant is when the police want to arrest you for a crime. Bench warrants are a bit easier to deal with, since you can sometimes get them removed without showing up in court. But for an arrest warrant, you’ll probably have to turn yourself in at some point.
I had a similar issue. If you don’t want to miss work, a local Arkansas criminal defense attorney might be able to help. They could potentially work out something to negotiate the surrender or even quash the warrant, though that’s tricky.
@Xander
That sounds like a good idea. I’m trying to avoid going to Arkansas because I can’t take time off from my job. I’ll look into local lawyers. Thanks .
I’ve heard that sometimes lawyers can get you a bail hearing sooner if you do have to go in. Maybe that’s an option for you too.
Drew said:
I’ve heard that sometimes lawyers can get you a bail hearing sooner if you do have to go in. Maybe that’s an option for you too.
Yeah, definitely! If you end up going, having a lawyer negotiate for a quicker bail hearing could help you out so you’re not stuck for too long.
If you want to try and sort this out online without going to Arkansas, you could contact a lawyer there and ask about your options. But it sounds like eventually, you’ll have to show up in person if it’s an arrest warrant.
@Keegan
Yeah, I’m leaning towards just contacting a local lawyer to see if they can help me out remotely. But I’m guessing I’ll still have to deal with it face-to-face at some point.
You could also check out online legal services, some of them might be able to help you figure out how to deal with this without physically going to Arkansas. But from what I know, you might still have to appear in person eventually.
@Zan
Thanks, I’ll check out some online services. Hopefully, there’s a way to handle this without me having to take time off work.