how would you know????

[anonemouse]

What is the name of your state? NC

I was reading some posts on here about warrants..and i was wondering how would you know if you had a warrant for your arrest?? the way i have always seen it portrayed on tv is the cops come barging in your home stating they have a warrant for your arrest, but thats just tv. what really happens, and if the cops do come to your home and your not there for whatever reason do they just stop pursuing you?? or are u sent warning letters, or other visits by the cops til they catch you?? sorry if this is confusing but after reading other peoples posts on here i became curious about the whole warrant thing, i mean is it possible for someone to not have a clue that there is a warrant out for their arrest or do the police make clear efforts to let you know about a warrant even if your not home when they come to get you???? thanks for everyones response to my strange questions..i learn more on this site every day!!

 

[stephenk]

People typically have an idea that the police might be looking for them. The posts you have read may claim they didnt know why the police came to arrest them, but they then admit there was that incident last year, the failure to appear in court, the 15 tickets I havent paid, etc.

if the police show up and you arent at home, the people that are at the home will let you know the police were calling. you can then contact the police and find out what is happening and make arrangements to surrender or you can run and hope they dont catch you. Some call an attorney to make inquiries regarding the police visit.

 

[christin gd]

you dont know

I'm no lawyer, but I do know that if they (cops) want you they will find a way. . .if you dont have a warrent issued by the judge for not appearing or paying fines ect. . they can get a search warrent. Either way not being home does not make these m f er's go away. Yes its alot like TV, except TV's edited. You can always call the County Clerk to see if you have warrents or pending cases.Most times they tell you - except in Santa Fe - to lazy and stupid to REALLY look *******s.

 

[GKris]

####I'm no lawyer, but I do know that if they (cops) want you they will find a way. . .if you dont have a warrent issued by the judge for not appearing or paying fines ect. . they can get a search warrent. Either way not being home does not make these m f er's go away. Yes its alot like TV, except TV's edited. You can always call the County Clerk to see if you have warrents or pending cases.Most times they tell you - except in Santa Fe - to lazy and stupid to REALLY look *******s. ####

That was interesting, and actually semifactual. Warrants are wonderful things. There are almost as many different types as there are ways to have your name on one. Most times you know about it. In the case of being under surveilence for a crime, you are not told you are being investigated or watched and once enough evidence is aquirred, a warrant may be issued for your arrest. A warant is basically a request for your presence in court. A request that you cannot ignore. When you sign a citation at the side of the road for a traffic infraction, you are signing a PR bond, which means that you promise to appear in court to answer the charges. If you fail to show up a failure to appear warrant is issued for you as well as warrants for the original citation. Being home or not home does have consequences to the warrant. If its a search warrant, you not being there does not really matter. They cam enter, search, take what is considered evidence and tape a copy of the warrant to the door. If its an arrest warrant they need permission to enter or a reasonable idea you are in the house. If you are not home then the warrant is simply not served. It does not go away until your demise or capture. In the case of minor infractions like traffic tickets, you are usually sent a letter. For bigger things, they may call and try to locate you but they certainly wont send a letter saying Hi, we want you in jail today. Since none of this is written in stone, and every rule has its own set of exceptions, if in doubt about your legal status go to the nearest cop and request a free warrant check. Its a service provided by the guys in blue - free of charge.

 

[anonemouse]

dmv/ clerk

I see now... warrants never ever go away. I have also read in some various posts that warrants show up when you re new or apply for a drivers liscene, is that true?? and will the clerk of courts tell you if you have a warrant? thanks

 

[GKris]

Most states have systems in place that check other states for warrants if you were to say move from California to Nevada and get a license in Nevada for example. All states have a system of checking for interstate warrants when renewing that stat'e license. It would force you to pay those warrants before being able to renew. A court clerk can tell you but they are some seriously busy people, they may not. A call to the local police would be better.

 

[Theodore Bundy]

If the warrant is for a serious offense the police will make sure they find you. However, many times with petty crimes or bench warrants they never send anyone to bring you in. All states have thousands of unserved warrants on file that nobody is actually trying to catch the person. You could possibly go forever without getting caught. The problem is if you have an outstanding warrant and you get pulled over for a traffic ticket the cop will find out about your warrant they will slap the cuffs on you and take you to jail on the spot. I knew a guy that spent a weekend in jail for not paying a $25 ticket for having an expired vehicle license.

 

[anonemouse]

sorry if i sound like a dummy but is everyone automatically checked for arrest warrants when they go to the DMV to renew their license? also if someone goes to the dmv hoping to renew or get a license and they have an arrest warrant do they get arrested on the spot or do they just not get their license? the more stuff i learn the more questions i have, but thanks for the answers!

 

[OnlyOneVoice]

I don't think that they check for wants and warrants when you renew your drivers license.

However, if there is a warrant issued for your arrest and they have an address you will be notified by mail that you have an outstanding warrant. The notice will tell you that you can be arrested at any time in any place that you may be found including your place of employement.

The notice will also usually have instructions on what to do to remedy the warrant.

How do I know? My ex-husband had a warrant issued for failure to appear in Traffic Court.

 

[anonemouse]

im sorry im still confused

Ohhh, I was confused bc some of the other posts on this forum led me to beleive that whenever someone tries to go and renew or get a license that they are automatically searched for arrest warrants?? Bc dont cops run your drivers license number when they pull your over, so wouldnt that be them same thing the DMV does??? Some people stated in their posts that their license was revoked or suspended due to an arrest warrant, so when people go to the DMV their arrest warrants automatically show up right? thanks for clearing up my confusion..

 

[GKris]

You are checked at the DMV, if its a traffic warrant that suspends your license then of course you will be requirred to get it taken care of before renewing. If the municipality that wrote the ticket does not report warrant to whatever system that puts them into the computer then they won't show up. For example you can have a warrant say out of Dallas, Tx for a ticket, if you get stopped in Houston, Tx it will not show up, If you get stopped in FT Worth, Tx then it would simply because its the same reporting system. The same is for renewing you license. Now other types of warrants that are entered nationally into NCIC will always show up on every check.

 

[anonemouse]

last one

ok great think i have it now...minor traffic stuff may or may not show up where u get stopped or where u get your go to the dmv at. But misdeameanor or felony arrest warrants (which is what im assuming you meant by national NCIC stuff) will always show up at every dmv or whenver a police stops you??? thank you so much for answering this and all my questions, i think this is the last one!

 

[GKris]

Just remember there are exceptions to every rule.....