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IF I LEAVE THE STATE HOW WILL THIS FOLLOW ME?

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If I skip court there will be a bench warrant but by crime is a $32.00 shoplifting case. I am thinking of leaving to another state.
 


quincy

Senior Member
If I skip court there will be a bench warrant but by crime is a $32.00 shoplifting case. I am thinking of leaving to another state.
If you fail to appear in court on your shoplifting charge, a bench warrant will likely be issued for your arrest.

Your name will likely be entered into a state database so, if you are stopped by the police for any reason, you can be arrested and jailed. There will be another charge to deal with and additional fines.

If you leave the state of Colorado and never return, Colorado will not chase you down.
 
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If you fail to appear in court on your shoplifting charge, a bench warrant will likely be issued for your arrest.

Your name will likely be entered into a state database so, if you are stopped by the police for any reason, you can be arrested and jailed. There will be another misdemeanor charge to deal with and additional fines.

If you leave the state of Colorado and never return, Colorado will not chase you down.
That's totally what I was hoping for! Thank YOU!
 

quincy

Senior Member
That's totally what I was hoping for! Thank YOU!
Despite this being the news you wanted to hear, it is not as good as it sounds. You can have issues with your driver's license and you could have issues with background checks.

Other states won't arrest on a bench warrant because they generally won't know of the warrant - but other states could learn of any driver's license actions taken against you by the state of Colorado if the Colorado Motor Vehicle Division revokes your license.
 
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Taxing Matters

Overtaxed Member
Here, for additional information, is a link to Colorado's theft law. Theft of property valued under $50 is a Class 1 petty offense, subject to a fine up to $500 and jail time up to 6 months.
And if this is a first offense he won't get six months. Indeed, he likely won't get any jail time with a plea agreement, just some time on parole and perhaps a fine. All the more reason to just suck it up and deal with it now. It doesn't get better with age.
 

Mass_Shyster

Senior Member
If police in Mass find out about the warrant, you will likely be arrested and charged as a fugitive from justice. You could be held for up to 90 days until they realize Colorado isn’t coming to get you. Longer if you don’t waive extradition.

Repeat the process every time you have contact with the police.
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
Rather a lot to risk; wouldn't it just make more sense to show up?
But cbg!! That takes the excitement out of life! Much more fun to always look over your shoulder...sweat it out when a cop pulls behind your car...never know if your gonna spend months at a time in jail....EXCITING!!:poop:
 

quincy

Senior Member
If police in Mass find out about the warrant, you will likely be arrested and charged as a fugitive from justice. You could be held for up to 90 days until they realize Colorado isn’t coming to get you. Longer if you don’t waive extradition.

Repeat the process every time you have contact with the police.
philmacrotch probably would want to live carefully both inside and outside of the state of Colorado to avoid police contact that might reveal the warrant. And getting a new driver's license could prove difficult.

This is a petty offense, not the type of charge that generally leads most people to consider fleeing to another state. Like Taxing said, jail time is unlikely and even the maximum fine is relatively small.

It just makes so much more sense to appear in court at the scheduled time on the scheduled date. If philmacrotch finds it necessary, s/he can ask the court to approve a payment plan for the fine.
 
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