Many people miss their Washington court dates for various reasons. Sometimes the court mailed its court date notice to an old address. Sometimes people are out of state on long trips and vacations and didn’t see their court date notice until after their court date has passed. And sometimes people just forget their court dates.

When a person fails to appear in court for a minor criminal case, the judge will often just reset the court date and re-mail the court date notice. Especially when the person does not have a prior criminal record or history of failing to appear for court.

However, in more serious criminal cases, the judge will issue an arrest warrant and set a bail $ amount. The bail amount will depend on the severity of the offense, the person’s criminal record, and the number of times the person has not shown up for court in the past. So the bail set for a 1^st DUI offender with no criminal record might be $7,500.00 while the bail for a 3^rd DUI offender might be $25,000.00.

To clear (quash) an arrest warrant and reset their missed court date, a person must do one of the following, depending on the particular Washington court and criminal offense:

1. Post the bail $ amount with a local bail bondsman company which will then deposit the bail money with the court. The court will then reset the court date, or
2. Turn themselves in to the court’s local jail which will then bring them in front of the judge within 48 hours. The court will then set a new court date and reconsider the bail $ amount, or
3. Contact the court clerk’s office and request that the arrest warrant be administratively quashed and the court date be reset upon payment of the court’s warrant quashing administrative fee (usually $100 to $250).

An outstanding Washington arrest warrant makes the person subject to immediate arrest anywhere in Washington State (and throughout the United States for felony warrants). A Washington arrest warrant for certain criminal traffic offenses may also result in suspension of the person’s driver license in Washington and throughout the United States.

Lynnwood Lawyer Paul Hanson

Call Lynnwood criminal defense attorney Paul Hanson for more information. He can help you get your Washington arrest warrant quashed. Call (425) 778-7339 for a free first consultation.

Lynnwood DUI Lawyer Paul Hanson