In Massachusetts if you do not attend a court date on a criminal case, whether you were aware of that court date or not, a warrant can be issued for your arrest. Once a warrant is issued by a court, the underlying case is put on hold until the person returns to the court where the warrant issued and personally appears before the judge to remove the warrant.
To make matters worse, an outstanding warrant for a lengthy period of time could mean a prosecutor will ask that you be held on bail pending the resolution of your case. Some judges will also see the extended absence from court as an aggravating factor in the case and insist on increased penalties as a result.
If a warrant enters on a criminal case, that warrant remains in the warrant database until it is removed by the court where the criminal case is heard. Often times people are charged with minor criminal offenses for traffic violations and are never aware that they were required to go to court and have their case heard by a judge. In these cases, warrants for arrest are issued and remain in the system often for years before they are discovered by the person who the warrant issued against. Someone who has an active warrant for their arrest from a Massachusetts court can be arrested on that warrant at any time if they encounter the police in any jurisdiction. Additionally a person with a warrant from a Massachusetts court can be prevented from obtaining or renewing a driver's license, and also can be denied Social Security or Medicare benefits until the warrant is removed.
Many times, these warrants are old, and are not discovered until the incident that caused them is thought to be long forgotten and the person has moved out of the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. Even when the offense is minor the court can still require you to return to Massachusetts and personally appear in order to get the warrant removed.
Attorney Daniel Cappetta regularly helps clients deal with complicated warrant removal situations. He is often able to get the situations resolved quickly so that his clients can immediately move forward with obtaining their license or travelling internationally, or any other activity that can be obstructed by the presence of a warrant.
When clients live in jurisdictions outside of Massachusetts, Attorney Cappetta has had success getting warrants removed and cases resolved without the court requiring his client to return to Massachusetts. In serious cases where the court has required the return of a client, Attorney Cappetta has successfully arranged for the warrant to be removed and the resolution of the entire case in only one court appearance for his client.
If you have an outstanding warrant in Massachsuetts, contact Attorney Cappetta today for a free consultation. With the right criminal defense attorney on your side it is possible the warrant can be removed quickly, and with as little inconvenience to your life as possible.