Having a warrant out for your arrest means you can be picked up by the police at any time. Luckily, you can avoid going to jail by paying any bail amount attached to the warrant, but you must turn yourself in before you can clear it this way. Here are two things you need to do before handing yourself over to the police to ensure you'll be released as soon as possible.
Verify the Kind of Warrant Outstanding
There are a few types of warrants, and not all of them offer the option to pay bail to avoid jail. For instance, if you're arrested on a child support or failure-to-pay warrant, you won't be released until the amount owed for the fine, fee, or support is paid in full. With these types of warrants, your best option is to call an attorney for assistance.
Thus, you should contact the court to find out what type of warrant has been issued against you and the requirements for clearing it up. While you're speaking to the clerk, you should also find out if you have other warrants besides the one you're calling about. Even if you pay bail on one warrant, the police can keep you in jail if you have others that don't get paid or prohibit you from being released.
Contacting the court by phone usually doesn't present any risk of arrest. However, if you're not comfortable doing it yourself, connect with a bail bond company that can also find out the information for you. You can then work with the company to pay the bail and continue enjoying your freedom.
Choose the Optimal Day
It's important to choose the right day to turn yourself into the police to minimize the disruption to your life. If you work, for example, then you'll want to do it on your days off to avoid missing your shifts.
While any day is generally fine, you should avoid trying to clear the warrant on weekends and holidays when the court system is closed. If your warrant doesn't have a predetermined bail amount, you'll have to wait for a judge to order it, which won't happen until the next business day. If you want to avoid spending several days in jail, pick a day when you know the court will be in session and go in the morning as soon as it opens.
For help clearing a warrant with bail or getting yourself or a loved one out of jail, contact a local bail bond company, such as Steele Boys Bail Bonds.
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