Statute of Limitations for CA Case

[QuestionforU]

Background Information:

I am a 38 year old male and on 10/99, I was on a Consulting job in Bakersfield, Ca. One of the nights I had decided to go out for a few drinks, I got pulled over by a Bakersfield PD for an illegal U-turn. The officer then proceeded to ask me questions about whether or not I had anything to drink and proceeded to be honest. He gave me a field sobriety test and from all looks I thought I had passed it. He then proceeded to give me a breathalizer and apparently I blew a .08. I was arrested and spent the night at the Kern County Jail. I was released the next morning. I can't remember if I saw a judge through video court or not.

I never heard anything further on this case and never received paperwork. My license was never suspended in the State where I actually lived. It is now 02/2009. I did manage to pull up my case through the Superior Court of California County of Kern through their Criminal Case Information. My question is, based on what I see, would I make matters worse by following up on it? I did not have a DUI prior to this incident, nor have I had another DUI since. I have received a speeding ticket since and don't believe I have any warrants for my arrest. The Charges/Dispositions are as follows, there are three counts:
001 - 23152(A) DUI ALCOHOL No Charge/Date disposition
002 - 23152(B) DUI ALCOHOL/0.08 PERCENT No Charge/Date disposition
003 - 40508(A) FAIL TO APPEAR:WRITTEN PROMISE No Charge/Date disposition

Sentence Information
** n/a - no convicted charges **

Scheduled Hearings
** None found **

Bail Amount: $2500 (But I didn't have to post bail)

I have looked up the California Penal Code Sections so please, don't bother with explaining those to me. My questions are:

1) Do I have a warrant for my arrest still in California?
2) Will Statute of Limitations ever run out on my particular case?
3) If I call the Court to find out how to clear this case, will I make matters worse?

I should mention that I am a private pilot and in 2004, when I renewed my Class III medical certificate, this DUI information did show up and the FAA revoked my medical because they felt I had tried to hide it, eventhough I had in all honesty forgotten about it. Any answers from professionals either in law enforcement or the legal field would be greatly appreciated.

 

[CourtClerk]

My questions are:

1) Do I have a warrant for my arrest still in California?

Yes

2) Will Statute of Limitations ever run out on my particular case?

No

3) If I call the Court to find out how to clear this case, will I make matters worse?

Nothing worse can happen. You already have a warrant, it will remain until you clear it up. To clear it up, you'll have to show up in court. Take an attorney with you.

 

[CdwJava]

I have looked up the California Penal Code Sections so please, don't bother with explaining those to me.

If you looked them up in the Penal Code, you got the wrong info. They are from the Vehicle Code.

1) Do I have a warrant for my arrest still in California?

As previously advised - almost certainly.

2) Will Statute of Limitations ever run out on my particular case?

No. The warrant will remain forever unless it is recalled or served. As long as it exists it will dog you ... you will be unable to access many types of employment, welfare, government assistance, student or other government backed loans, SSI, etc. Eventually it will come back to haunt you.

3) If I call the Court to find out how to clear this case, will I make matters worse?

As advised, it doesn't get worse ... not until you are arrested. With an attorney, you can likely arrange a "surrender" and bail, then get released with a new court date.


- Carl

 

[cyjeff]

There is one other way to get out of the warrant.... death. Yours.

But I would go the other way.

 

[CdwJava]

There is one other way to get out of the warrant.... death.

Which, of course, would result in the warrant being recalled.

So, really, even death doesn't make the warrant go away!

- Carl

 

[QuestionforU]

Update on Case Status

For anyone that may be interested, there ARE NO active warrants out for my arrest. I called Kern County Criminal Warrant Information line. They searched my name and d.o.b and NOTHING, whew, that's a relief. Maybe I can now call and have it taken care of without worry of being arrested.