Do You Have an Arrest Warrant for Failure to Appear in Court?How to Vacate Your Arrest Warrant
If you receive a traffic ticket, it will likely indicate a date for you to appear in court to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. You may also be allowed to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty by mail. If you receive a Desk Appearance Ticket (DAT), you may be required to appear in court. If you either fail to enter a plea of not guilty by mail when permitted or fail to appear in court; or enter a plea of guilty and fail to pay the fine, a warrant may be issued for your arrest. An arrest warrant for failure to appear in court may also be called a bench warrant. If you appear in court and are given an adjourned date for another appearance and fail to appear on that date or any other adjourned date, an arrest warrant may be issued for your arrest. If you are aware of outstanding tickets or a traffic summons and you are unsure if there is an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you can call the court where your ticket was issued and ask if an arrest warrant was issued. Alternatively, you can call a traffic ticket attorney or criminal lawyer and request that he or she find out for you. Never go into court without a criminal attorney if a warrant has been issued for your arrest. If you appear without an attorney before a nice judge, you may be able to resolve your ticket or be sent home and told to come back with a lawyer. I have had several clients who were not so lucky and were promptly locked up. If you have failed to appear in court on your charges, a traffic ticket attorney can have your warrant vacated. That means that you will be in the same position as if you had appeared and the warrant for your arrest will be dismissed (will no longer exist).
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