Tag Archives: WARRANT

What can I do?

Q: I have been charged with driving without a license. The problem is my younger brother and his girlfriend used my identification. I now have a warrant for my arrest and a fine to pay, My brother is currently in jail and his girlfriend lives in Washington, PA What can I do? (Bridgeville, PA)

A: Driving without a license or driving under a suspended license are summary offenses. I am surprised there is a warrant but will assume you are correct. I imagine there is a warrant for not showing at a hearing. If you missed a District Justice level hearing, you might call the District Justice Office and explain what happened. They may reschedule you. If not, they likely tell you to turn yourself in. Without knowing more, and assuming this is a summary offense, I don’t think you will go to jail when you turn yourself in to the DJ. However, you will decrease your chances of going to jail by working with an attorney.

Can I get my warrant changed to a summons?

Q: I just caught two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver. I’m on probation for robbery but no probation violation was filed. Is a summons a possibility or am I guaranteed arrest? (McKees Rocks, PA)

A: You really need to discuss this with the lawyer who is intimately familiar with your case. However, I can offer this. Yes, it is possible to turn the new active warrant into a summons. You will need to have your attorney bring you to a Common Pleas Court Motions Judge on the warrant and have it vacated and bail set. However, there is a problem with this. By the time you get to court, the probation warrant may have been filed. Once in court before the Motions Judge, you could be detained on the probation warrant and escorted to the Allegheny Iron Hilton. All your time incarcerated from that point will then count toward the probation violation, not your new case. You will not be able to make bond on the new case until either your probation violation judge conducts your probation violation hearing (which is held after your new case is disposed of, or your detainer is lifted. A detainer can be lifted through the process of your attorney filing a written motion and convincing your probation judge to let you back on the street even though you were arrested for a new felony drug case while on his or her probation for robbery. As they say, you are in a pickle. Save money for your attorney.

Can Pennsylvania extradite for probation violation on running while in house arrest?

Q: I was on house arrest and cut my monitoring bracelet off and now I’m moving to a different state. (Pittsburgh, PA)

A: I hope it was worth it. You will be charged with Escape and a warrant will be issued once you fail to appear at your Preliminary Hearing in Pa. You may also have a probation warrant issued from PA. At some point in the future, if you should encounter law enforcement in the new state, even for something fluky, the PA warrant will show. You will be held for extradition in the local county jail until PA comes for you after being notified by the holding state. Whether PA will or not, is hard to say. However, sitting in the jail waiting to find out will not be a good experience.

How long do you have to wait for your warrant to be drop?

Q: I have three warrants. I want to know how long do I have to wait for them to be drop and cleared off? (Pittsburgh, PA)

A: Warrants for arrest relating to criminal charges, do not just expire or go stale. They can stay in the system for decades. They can lay in wait for you like a hidden shard of glass on a sandy beach. You are unlikely to be hunted down in a warrant sweep for some minor unpaid fines, but if you have a warrant for a misdemeanor or felony, you could be caught in a sweep. You could also be detained if you come in contact with police for something simple, like a traffic ticket or appearing in court. I would deal with it proactively. An attorney can assist you.

Can I get arrested if I go to Family Court?

 

Q: I have three old cases from 2014. I have never been in trouble since but I have three warrants. One is a drug case and two theft cases. I never went back to court because I was homeless. I met the mother of my kids, started a family. Now she kicked me out and sued me for support. I never thought about my warrants or court again. Should I?

A: It is very likely. In Allegheny County, the Sheriff Deputies run warrant checks on litigants coming to court and can take people into custody. It is best to address this issue ahead of time, preferably with the assistance of a lawyer. A lawyer can look into what is necessary in getting a bond set on your criminal cases. It could be simple, or it could be more complicated.

If driving privileges are suspended in PA from DUI can I legally drive in PA with a NY license?

Q: I have a NY driver’s license from when I was in the Army. I was wondering if I could drive legally in PA with the NY driver’s license. Also, I got my DUI back in 2014. I have now heard that a warrant is required to take blood from DUI perpetrators. They didn’t have a warrant for my blood, so can I fight it? My license in PA is to be suspended for 18 months. I have completed 14 months out of the 18, is there any way I can get my license back earlier? (Carnegie, PA)

A: If a PA driver’s license suspension is in effect, the notice of suspension will be sent from PennDOT to the NY Department of Motor Vehicles. Most states are signatories to an interstate compact act and have reciprocity with driver’s licensing matters. You can probably call the NY State DMV to be certain. As far as the requirement of police to obtain a search warrant to obtain blood from a hospital, Birchfield v. North Dakota was a 2016 case and therefore does not apply retroactively to 2014. As far as getting your license back early, it is doubtful, but you can file for an Occupational Limited License on the PennDOT website. My question is why in 2017 are you still under suspension? You may want to get a Restoration Requirements letter and your driving record from PennDOT. You may also want to call the Clerk of Courts to see if there is any probation condition you have not fulfilled to make yourself eligible to restore.

Charged with contempt of court as a minor?

Q: If a 17-year-old minor involved in a case as a witness, refuses to attend and testify in court, what charges would he/she be facing? Could they receive a fine, or even jail time? (Peters Township, PA)

A: The only circumstance in which a person can be legally obligated to appear in court and testify is if they were served with a Subpoena. As this person is a minor, his parents or guardians must be served. If the parent or guardian is served with the subpoena and do not want to bring their son to court, they should seek the advice of a lawyer as to whether they have legal grounds to not comply, such as the minor’s 5th Amendment rights or a real threat of retaliation or witness intimidation. If the parent or guardian has no such valid reason, then they can be held in contempt of court by the judge and the judge can issue an order or warrant and have them brought to court by sheriff or police.