court appearance in the same county as an unexpected warrant

[seattleresident]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? WA

A few months ago, I pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in the city of Seattle. The conditions involved community service and a psych eval, and i went to see my probation officer a couple of times but then he jerked me around when he told me the wrong day to show up, then never gave me another appointment. It was my understanding that I had two years to complete the terms of the sentence.
So then the other day I was pulled over in a small town in the same county and was given a charge that requires me to appear in (I think) traffic court. I was told that I have a warrant out for my arrest in Seattle, but the city chose not to have them arrest me. So my question is, How likely is it that I will be arrested if I go to court for this new charge in another city? Also, is there any way to contest the warrant from Seattle as I do not know of anything I did wrong in this case?

[outonbail]

Originally Posted by seattleresident

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? WA

A few months ago, I pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in the city of Seattle. The conditions involved community service and a psych eval, and i went to see my probation officer a couple of times but then he jerked me around when he told me the wrong day to show up, then never gave me another appointment.

It is not possible for your probation officer to jerk you around. He/she is your master, you are the slave. If you don't like the way they are handling your probation, you can go back into custody and avoid them altogether. It is your responsibility to make and keep in contact them, not the other way around. If you showed up and your probation officer wasn't there, then you call him/her the following day and every day after that until you get in touch and are given a new appointment. It's not their responsibility to let you know where they are, it's your responsibility to let them know where you are.

It was my understanding that I had two years to complete the terms of the sentence.

Terms as in community service? If so, you're wrong there again. If you are given community service it is expected to be done on the earliest available weekend and every subsequent weekend until it has been completed. You can't decide you will do it on the second year of your probation.
I don't really know why I'm explaining this to you because it was all explained to you by the judge and probation officer, so playing the "I thought" card isn't going to work.

So then the other day I was pulled over in a small town in the same county and was given a charge that requires me to appear in (I think) traffic court. I was told that I have a warrant out for my arrest in Seattle, but the city chose not to have them arrest me. So my question is, How likely is it that I will be arrested if I go to court for this new charge in another city?

I have absolutely no idea. Your best bet is to plan on it. This way it will come as no surprise if you do and Christmas comes early if you don't.

Also, is there any way to contest the warrant from Seattle as I do not know of anything I did wrong in this case?

Is the Seattle case the one you are currently on probation for? If so and the warrant is for a violation of probation, then you will be given a court hearing where you can explain your reason for doing or not doing whatever it is they violated you for. It's up to the judge to decide if you are in violation and if so, whether you have a good reason. However, aside from being in the hospital in a coma, there aren't many other good reasons for violating the terms of your probation.

To see if you have violated your probation, answer the following questions. If you answer No to any of them, you have violated your probation:

Did you complete your community service?
Did you get the Psych exam?
Did you keep in touch with your PO?
Have you stayed out of trouble and not broken any laws?
Have you paid all your fines?