Louisiana Arrest Warrants

More serious than you would think
Suppose you're spending a relaxing evening at home with the family watching "America's Most Wanted" and much to your surprise you discover that you have just been added to the ten most wanted list! Now your picture and description has been blasted over the airwaves and there is nothing you can do about that. Luckily for most of us, that would be a very extreme and unlikely case. However, that doesn't mean you wouldn't have a Louisiana arrest warrant sworn out in your name and have not knowledge about that until it was too late. You could still be running afoul of the law and need to clear your name. Try explaining to a judge that "I didn"t know." You won't be getting very far.

Possible situations
Many folks don't realize that a Louisiana arrest warrant can be sworn out in your name as a result of unpaid parking tickets, missed child support payments or any other failure to complete court ordered business. Essentially there are two types of Louisiana warrants and that holds true for the rest of the country. Those are bench warrants or arrest warrants.

Bench warrant
A bench warrant is issued by judge when he is presented with evidence that you have failed to rectify some matter before the court. And that matter could be a forgotten ticket that has gone for years without payment. Even one simple ticket can lead to a bench warrant being sworn out in your name. You don't have to be notified of this but if you are then pulled over for a routine traffic stop, apply for government assistance or merely have an employee background check run you could be flagged. This in turn could lead to an immediate arrest. And the only way to resolve a Louisiana bench warrant is before that very same judge.

Arrest warrant
With regard to an arrest warrant, these are also issued by a judge but are when you have been accused or are suspected in some form of criminal activity. A Louisiana arrest warrant often follows the convening of a grand jury where evidence is brought against you. If the grand jury moves for an indictment, then the arrest warrant is sworn out. Again, you don't have to be notified until the police show up at your door. One of the major differences between an arrest warrant and a bench warrant is that if you are accused of a criminal offense versus a civil offense, chances are the police will be coming for you a lot quicker.

Staying out of trouble
How can you avoid all of this? Pay your parking tickets for one thing! But fortunately in this modern age, there are many resources available on the internet that will allow you to conduct warrant searches in your name. If you discover there is an outstanding Louisiana arrest warrant sworn out in your name, you should seek out the advice of a criminal attorney. They can help you navigate through the judicial system and hopefully help you clear up the matter. Don't wait until you become a "most wanted."