What To Do When You Left The State But Have Unfinished Legal Matters

Kitsap Criminal Defense Lawyer Jennifer Witt
Have You Left The State And A Warrant Behind?

For various reasons, people leave the State of Washington with unresolved legal issues. More often than not, a person is under investigation for a crime but not yet charged when they move. By the time the prosecutor’s office charges the case, the mailing address provided months or years earlier is no longer valid.

Delays In The State Bringing Charges 

In recent months, we have experienced in increase in cases where DUI cases have been charged a year after the person was originally arrested and released. When the toxicology lab returned the blood result, the accused person had been living in another state for many months. Often, the only reason the person knows they have been charged with a crime is that notice of a warrant appears on a background check for a new job.

If you have unresolved criminal charges or have been notified that a warrant has been issued for your arrest, it is critical that you contact an experienced criminal defense attorney. Hiring private defense counsel will cost money but it can help get you back to “normal” much faster and, hopefully, allow you to keep your job.

How the Witt Law Group can help:

1.  We will determine if charges have been filed or a record has been created. Additionally, we will determine whether a warrant has been issued.

2.  We will determine if there are any critical timelines that you may have missed and whether there is a way to remedy the missed deadline.

3.  We will determine the jurisdiction of your matters or matters. This means we need to figure out where you were charged—city, state or federal charges.

4.  We will determine whether you left the state “pre-resolution” of your case—meaning the case is unresolved. If you were arrested and left before your arraignment, you will likely need to appear in court with an attorney to help quash your warrant before we begin negotiation of your case. If you left post-resolution of your case, we will facilitate bringing your case back to a status of compliance.

Every Case Is Unique

Criminal charges are common but the facts of every criminal case is different and the challenge in resolving the case is always unique. To really understand the path that your unresolved case could take, it is best to contact an experienced lawyer right away. Discuss the unique details of your case so you know how to move forward. Delaying will only cause more unintended negative consequences. If you found this article interesting, CLICK HERE to see all of our blog posts. 

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