What is a "bench warrant" and what does it mean if there is one out for me?

Asked on
Thursday, Jan 10, 2013

I missed a court date and now supposedly there's a "bench warrant" out against me. What does this mean and what am I supposed to do now?

Answers

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Jan 11, 2013
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A bench warrant is issued by a judge when you fail to appear for a scheduled court date. There are a couple of ways you can handle this. If you have an attorney, they should file a "Motion to Recall Warrant." If you represent yourself, you should call the court and ask when you can appear before the judge and ask to have the warrant recalled. Until the warrant is recalled, a peace officer may arrest you and take you into custody. If that happens you will be taken to court, in cuffs, to the court/judge that issued the warrant. Hope this helps.