You may be in a situation where you’re concerned about whether or not there’s a warrant for your arrest. It may be because of a recent domestic dispute, unpaid child support, or another incident where you fear someone has reported you to the police. A warrant may be issued for your arrest if police believe they have enough information or evidence to do so, but you are not physically present or can be easily located at the time of the investigation.
You might think that authorities will attempt to call you and tell you about your warrant, but this is actually rare. In fact, phone scammers may use this as a premise to extort money from you, so you might want to consider hanging up as soon as you get one of these calls. You especially won’t be contacted about a warrant via text, email, or social media, so you can safely ignore all of these messages.
Before you ever reach out to anyone in law enforcement, contact an attorney. You especially want to lock-in legal representation if you know that it is very likely that police are looking for you. Your lawyer can help you manage the situation in a manner that protects your civil rights, especially if the warrant was improperly procured or if the suspicion against you is misplaced.
If you want to look up a possible warrant on your own, you can do so by checking with the courts or sheriff’s offices in the county where you believe you may have an active warrant. In many cases, this can be done for free and online. Be advised that showing up in person to inquire about a warrant could lead to your arrest if an active warrant is discovered.
Regardless of whether or not you think you have an active warrant, pay attention to the kind of junk mail you’re getting. Because warrants are public records, law firms may trawl the district clerk’s warrant database to send targeted mailers to people with active warrants. This can be a tip-off that you’re wanted even if you never suspected that you were.
What Information Can I Expect to Find in a Warrant?
If there’s an outstanding warrant for your arrest, it will likely have the following information:
- Your legal name, along with any aliases you are known by
- Age
- Gender
- Height and weight
- Identifying marks (tattoos, scars, etc.)
- Ethnicity
- The crime you are accused of
- The name of the magistrate who issued the warrant, along with his or her signature
- An affidavit of probable cause (which includes the name of the accused or a description, time and place of the alleged offense, sufficient facts that support a finding of probable cause that the person named in the warrant committed the offense within the time limit permitted by the statute of limitations
Do You Need Help with a Criminal Defense Matter?
The Alband Law Firm can help if you need to confirm whether or not there’s an active warrant for your arrest. Trying to handle this matter on your own may adversely affect your treatment by law enforcement and the justice system – only a qualified and experienced criminal defense attorney has what it takes to help you protect your rights.
Our attorney at The Alband Law Firm has tried more than 100 jury cases for clients in Fort Worth and throughout Tarrant County, helping each client feel confident that the justice system treated them fairly. Learn more about what we can do for you by scheduling a free initial consultation!
Get in touch with The Alband Law Firm today by connecting with us online or by calling (817) 997-4366.