Atlantic County, NJ Bench Warrant Lawyer

A bench warrant could be issued for your arrest without you ever knowing about it.  Most people only find out about bench warrants once it is too late, and they find themselves in jail after a simple traffic stop or another encounter with law enforcement.  If you know about an active bench warrant for you, you might be able to take steps to avoid arrest and get the warrant cleared.

The Law Offices of John J. Zarych’s Atlantic County bench warrant lawyers represent the accused and work to get bench warrants dropped and fight related charges to keep our clients out of jail.  For a free legal consultation on your case, call our law offices today at (609) 616-4956.

Why Do I Have a Bench Warrant for Failure to Appear in Atlantic County?

A judge typically issues a bench warrant after a failure to appear in court.  Judges may use bench warrants for other purposes, but missing a court date is the most common reason to have a bench warrant.  Since a judge needs you in the courtroom to proceed with criminal charges or a trial, they cannot progress the case without you.  If you missed court and they do not know where you are or why you did not show up, then the easiest way to resolve that problem is to issue a warrant for your re-arrest.

These warrants are different from criminal arrest warrants or search warrants.  Those are requested by a police officer or other law enforcement officer who needs permission to arrest you and charge you with a crime or to search your property for evidence of a crime.  Bench warrants are also different because police will typically not show up at your house to serve the warrant.  Instead, they will enter the warrant into a statewide system, and any cop in New Jersey who comes across you for another reason will be authorized to arrest you if they find out you have a warrant.

What Happens After Being Arrested on a Bench Warrant in Atlantic County

If a judge in Atlantic County issued a bench warrant for you, that usually means that you will be taken to court in Atlantic City.  Usually, when a police officer in New Jersey finds out you have an active bench warrant – whether they are a state or local cop – they will arrest you and transfer you back to Atlantic County.  If a new court date is scheduled within the next few days, you might have to spend that time in jail before the court can authorize a new bail hearing to discuss pretrial release.  Otherwise, you might be released on bail while you await your new hearing date.

When setting bail, a judge looks at a few factors, including your risk to the community, your ties to the community, the seriousness of your charges, and the risk that you will skip bail and fail to appear at your next court date.  If you have already had one failure to appear entered for this case, a judge might be less willing to allow you to be released on your own recognizance and might set cash bail or deny bail altogether.

Once you are brought to court, you will have to continue with the court case.  This means facing the charges and putting on a defense case to help get charges dropped or dismissed.  Your lawyer can help you fight the charges no matter which stage of the case you were in before your failure to appear.

Fighting a Bench Warrant in Atlantic County

If you have a bench warrant for your arrest, getting arrested is not the only possible outcome.  Sometimes a judge or police officer will not have you arrested on a bench warrant but will instead warn you that you have a warrant and give you a chance to get it taken care of.  You might also be able to find out that there is a bench warrant for you if you are given notice by the court or find a bench warrant when running a background check on yourself.

First of all, it is vital to verify that the bench warrant is real if you find it on one of these methods.  An attorney can help you verify if the bench warrant is real, perhaps finding out more information about when the warrant was issued and what charges it is related to.  This can help you understand which court to contact and how to start clearing up the legal issues.

Many warrants will be cancelled if you call the court and schedule a new court date.  Some courts might be unwilling to issue a new court date, and you may need to have your attorney call the court for you to schedule a new court date and have the warrant recalled.  A judge might be willing to schedule a new court date, but still unwilling to retract the warrant, which means you should speak to your lawyer to get advice on how to proceed.

Once you appear in court for your new court date, you will need to address any charges against you and continue to appear at subsequent court dates, or else another bench warrant might be issued.  Our criminal defense attorneys can help with your case in its pretrial or trial stages, fighting to get you plea deals or to have cases dropped and dismissed.

Call Our Atlantic County Bench Warrant Attorneys for a Free Legal Consultation

If you or a loved one has a bench warrant in Atlantic County, NJ or was already arrested on a bench warrant, contact the Law Offices of John J. Zarych today.  Our Atlantic County bench warrant lawyers might be able to help you get bench warrants canceled and fight the charges against you.  To schedule a free legal consultation with our lawyers, call us today at (609) 616-4956.