Arrest Warrants in Los Angeles

Has a warrant been issued for your arrest?

Living with the knowledge that there is a warrant for your arrest can be stressful to say the least. Perhaps you think that it will eventually disappear from the system, but that is simply not true. It will remain on the criminal data base until it is resolved either by you being arrested or by you coming to court voluntarily and having it recalled. Ken Lewis can "surrender" you to the court; help arrange for either an "Own Recognizance" ("O.R.") release or bail.

Ken Lewis can then begin to handle the underlying case and help resolve it for you. If it is a matter of reinstituting probation, or getting more time to pay a fine, or complete a class or community labor, Ken Lewis can work with the court and prosecutor to see that you are given the time to complete your post-conviction requirements.

There are a number of ways, and circumstances, how arrest warrants are issued. Sometimes arrest warrants are issued when the police have probable cause to believe that the suspect has committed a crime. The police bring their evidence to the District Attorney or in some cases (usually misdemeanors) the City Attorney, and if he or she is in agreement that there is probable cause, the case is filed and the arrest warrant is brought before a judge, who then decides whether or not to issue the warrant.

Once they have the warrant, the police can use it to execute an arrest. Without this, they generally have to catch you in the act of committing the crime or must find you with evidence of having committed the crime. In other cases, the judge may issue a bench warrant without any involvement on the part of the police or prosecutors. Common examples of cases where bench warrants are issued include failure to appear in court for a traffic offense, failure to pay court-ordered fines, and being caught in violation of a domestic violence restraining order.

How a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help

When you hire a criminal defense attorney to help you with resolving an arrest warrant, your attorney will accompany you to court and speak on your behalf with the judge. Depending on the circumstances of the case, the goal may be to have the warrant lifted on the basis that there is not probable cause in the first place, or it may be to obtain a bail reduction or a release without bail.