questions & answers

Question: I was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and released on OR, missed a court date and brought in in a warrant. I was released on supervised release. I left the state and never went back. It has been 20 years. I want to get it cleared up because it comes up when my fingerprints are run for employment and concealed carry permit. Is this past the statute of limitations? Is the law different because I left the state?

Answer: In Arizona, there are no statutes of limitation on a bench warrant. The warrant will remain in place until the judge quashes the warrant. In order to have a warrant quashed a defendant must appear in court before the judge that issued the warrant and ask that it be quashed. A defendant may want to check to see if a bond was set and be prepared to post the bond in the event the judge decides to take the defendant into custody.

Therefore, I would recommend scheduling a time to see the judge and ask for the warrant to be quashed and set up a payment plan for the fines, if you actually have not already paid them. Otherwise the warrant will remain active and you may be arrested. Also, if you show up on your own instead of being brought in by the police, the judge will likely be more willing to work with you on payments and quash the warrant.

http://www.azlawhelp.org/viewquestions.cfm?sc=98&mc=13&qid=8935

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