Can I Just Pay Money to Reschedule a Warrant?
In Minnesota, when you are charged with a crime, you usually are arrested immediately, a warrant has been issued for your arrest, or you will have a summons. If you fail to appear to the summons, an arrest warrant will almost certainly follow. The question is, is there is a warrant is issued for your arrest, can you simply pay money to reset the date? While this is a complicated question, your first move should be to sit down with an experienced Minnesota criminal defense attorney.
“There are some warrants that you can pay to reset the date. Others require that you turn yourself into the jail.”
Can I Just Pay Money to Reschedule a Warrant?
If you miss Court and a warrant has been issued for your arrest, there are a couple of different ways to handle it but this first thing you need to do is determine what the Court did when you failed to appear. Call Court administration in the County where you were supposed to appear. Here are generally the options:
Bench warrant with bail option: The Court may have set a bail amount and you can either pay that bail amount (or a bond) and Court administration will reset a new Court date.
Bench warrant, body only: If the Court set this kind of warrant, you are required to turn yourself in to appear before the Judge. This being said, there are a lot f moving parts of this issue. You should discuss with an experienced Minnesota criminal defense attorney.
“You don’t want to spend any more time in jail than possible. You need to know which kind of warrant you are facing.”
What Kinds of Cases can have Warrants Issued for your Arrest?
Unfortunately, the Courts here in Minnesota will issue warrants for every kind of case in which you are facing jail time, from simple misdemeanors to really serious felonies. As a result, the more serious the charge, the more likely that this warrant will be a bench warrant, body only type. The kinds of charged include:
Sex crimes
Domestic assault crimes
Murder
Violent Crimes
DWI Charges
Drug charges
Probation violations
Theft, Fraud and Property crimes
If you are facing a serious criminal charge and you just learned that there may be a warrant for your arrest, the decisions you make next may be some of the most important of your life. Make sure you sit down with an experienced Minnesota criminal defense attorney. It could make all of the difference.
Jack Rice is a former prosecutor, a former CIA Officer and a Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist. He is also a nationally known and respected criminal defense attorney. In addition, he is the Founder of Jack Rice Defense, a boutique criminal defense firm based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Contact Jack Rice Defense for a free confidential consultation or call 651-447-7650 or 612-227-1339. When your life is on the line, Jack Rice Defense.