How do I turn myself in on a PA warrant?

Q: I want to turn myself on a warrant for failure to appear in to PA for a drug paraphernalia charge from 2015. I’m scared I will go to jail. I also live in Buffalo, NY, and I don’t drive. That is the reason I don’t go back for my court date. Now three years later the warrant is showing up and I just want to take care of it but I’m not sure what to do. (Buffalo, NY)

A: If you have the resources to hire an attorney, an attorney can handle most of it and take you before a criminal motions judge to set your bond. You may want to call the County court administration and see if there is a way to do this without waiting in jail. Allegheny County has a set up where someone in your situation can turn themselves into Pretrial Services, who process them and take them before a judge for a bond to be set without going to jail. You will likely be better off with a lawyer who practices in the county in PA in which the warrant is.

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