North Dakota Arrest Warrants

Did you know that right now you could have an active warrant for your arrest waiting to be served by law enforcement officials? Arrest warrants are sworn out every day in North Dakota and the targeted person does not have to be informed until they are actually being arrested. That makes sense when you consider that advance notice might just send some persons on the run.

The type of warrant that might be issued in your name could either be a bench warrant or a felony warrant. Both of these warrants can carry some very serious consequences and can only be resolved by coming before the court that issued the warrants. How fast you'll turn up in court depends on which type of North Dakota arrest warrant has been issued and what kind of suspected criminal offense you are being charged with.

North Dakota Bench Warrants
In the realm of arrest warrants, bench warrants concern less serious matters, but also come with the most amount of "surprise" for the person involved. Bench warrants are sworn out by a judge against anyone who has failed to fulfill court ordered obligations. These obligations can be unpaid traffic tickets, incomplete DUI school or neglected child support. Quite often, the subjects of a bench warrant had no idea they "dropped the ball."

Often when bench warrants are issued there isn't a rush to go out and apprehend the suspect. Instead, the name goes into a statewide database available to any police officer. If you get stopped for a running a traffic light, the officer could look up your record, see that you have an outstanding bench warrant and arrest you on the spot. At that point, your only option will be to go through with the arrest and booking process.

North Dakota Felony Warrants
A more serious charge comes with a more serious warrant: the felony arrest warrant. When a judge is presented with enough compelling evidence or an indictment from a grand jury, they will then swear out a felony arrest warrant for a suspect. With these warrants the individual is a considered to be the prime suspect in a serious crime. When this occurs police officers are instructed to bring in that suspect as soon as possible.

Like the bench warrant, you won't necessarily know there is a warrant issued in your name until you're being arrested. Of course, if you are guilty of a felony crime then it shouldn't come as any surprise when you are arrested.

Options for Arrest Warrants
If you think there might be an issue that would allow the North Dakota court system to swear out a warrant for your arrest then you should take responsibility and remedy the situation. You can search a number of online criminal record databases that can reveal if an arrest warrant has been issued in your name.

Upon the discovery of a warrant, you can surrender yourself to the proper authorities. Keep in mind that a warrant is not something you can fix with a phone call. You will have to appear to the court and go through the arrest process. As with any matter before the court, you should have qualified legal counsel at your side. Even if this matter can be quickly resolved, it's best to have a lawyer to make sure all the conditions are met.