If you know you have a warrant out for your arrest, you should contact an attorney for help immediately. When dealing with an arrest warrant, you might have to pay a certain sum of money to secure your pretrial release.
While arrest warrants often come with a price, the cost is typically for your bail. Paying off a warrant does not make it, or any underlying charges, just disappear. Before paying off the warrant, you must contend with law enforcement. If the police execute the warrant, you can be arrested and thrown in jail until you can petition for bail. Some warrants must be paid in full with cash, and others can be paid with a bond. Paying off the warrant can be done through the courts, and your attorney can help you. Alternatively, if your lawyer can get the warrant recalled, you might not have to pay anything.
If you are dealing with an arrest warrant, call our Salt Lake City criminal defense lawyers can help you figure out how to pay your bail so you can go home to your family. For a free case review, call Overson & Bugden at (801) 758-2287.
Paying Off a Warrant for Arrest in Salt Lake County
Arrest warrants are not like bills that can simply be paid in full. However, arrest warrants do come with a cost that must be taken care of. A warrant for your arrest – whether a standard warrant or a bench warrant – may lead to being put in jail until you can make bail. Paying this cost quickly can help you spend as little time behind bars as possible.
If you cannot pay off the warrant (i.e., “make bail”), you will have to wait in jail until your trial. Most people have no idea there is a warrant out for their arrest. When they are arrested, they are usually taken by complete surprise. This situation can make it very difficult for defendants to get the money together to pay bail, and they may sit in jail for a while.
Our Sandy criminal defense attorney can help you clear your arrest warrant and pay bail as quickly as possible. We can help you advocate for the least restrictive bail possible, and, in some cases, this might mean not paying any money at all.
Paying Off Different Types of Arrest Warrants in Salt Lake County
There are two broad categories of arrest warrants in Salt Lake County. First, there are standard arrest warrants. These warrants are based on probable cause collected by law enforcement and authorized by a judge or magistrate. A standard or traditional arrest warrant is often the result of a criminal investigation.
Second, a bench warrant comes directly from a judge’s bench. These warrants are usually issued because a defendant missed a court hearing or skipped bail. Bench warrants are not issued because a new crime is committed. Bench warrants are typically executed when law enforcement next encounters the defendant, like at a traffic stop. The police do not usually come knocking on your door with a bench warrant. Our Ogden criminal defense lawyers can help you deal with a bench warrant, hopefully before you are arrested.
In either case, you may need to make bail if you want to get out of jail before your trial. It may be difficult to know how much money you need to pull together to pay for your release, especially if you do not know your charges. Our Salt Lake City criminal defense attorneys can help you figure out what charges you are facing, the type of arrest warrant, and the quickest way to pay bail.
Paying Off an Arrest Warrant in Cash or a Bond in Salt Lake County
You can pay for a warrant (i.e., bail) with cash or a bond, depending on your case. Cash payments might be necessary when payment is required in full. This may be where your charges are not too severe, and your bail amount is more affordable. However, there may be instances where bail is quite high, and you must pay in full.
In other circumstances, the court will allow you to pay with a bond, usually worth about 10% of the total bail. This is more common where bail is very high, some thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can work with a bail bond agent to cover your bail. Our Layton criminal defense attorneys can help you arrange payment with a bond.
In both cases, if you fail to show up for court after making bail, a bench warrant will be issued for your arrest, and you can be arrested again. If this is not your first time failing to appear for a court hearing, the judge might decide to revoke your bail and make you wait in jail until your trial. You may also forfeit any money paid.
How Do I Clear an Arrest Warrant in Salt Lake County?
Depending on the circumstances, clearing a warrant might be relatively simple or challenging. For a standard arrest warrant based on probable cause gathered by law enforcement, you probably would not know about the warrant until it is too late. In this case, you might have no other option than to cooperate with law enforcement officials as they place you under arrest. If you are aware ahead of time that an arrest is imminent, you should contact an attorney immediately.
Bench warrants are different, and there is a chance you know about the bench warrant before you are arrested. If you have ever missed a court date or violated a court order, our Murray criminal defense attorneys can help you determine if a bench warrant is out for your arrest.
It is best to enter the situation with a lawyer already by your side in either case. Our team of attorneys can help you communicate with law enforcement and the courts about your warrants. Hopefully, we can schedule hearing dates, determine bail, and pay any necessary costs without you ever being behind bars or at least minimizing any time in jail.
Call Our Salt Lake County Criminal Defense Attorneys for Assistance
If there is a warrant out for your arrest, no amount of money will make it go away. However, our Orem criminal defense lawyers can help you prepare to pay for your bail so you do not remain behind bars. Call Overson & Bugden at (801) 758-2287 for a free case evaluation.
