What Does It Mean When There Is An Active Warrant Out For Your Arrest?
When you see the blue lights of a police car flashing for you to pull over, your mind races with possibilities of what kinds of accusations the police could make against you. If the only thing the officer is sure you did wrong was violate a traffic law, then if you play it cool, you could be driving away in a few minutes with a traffic ticket that you can either pay or challenge, and the officer could be none the wiser about the drugs in your car. Of course, police have been known to search vehicles based on the most implausible excuses, so if that happens and the officer finds drugs, it is up to you and your defense lawyer to show that the officer had no good reason to pull you over or to search your car. Of course, sometimes the traffic stop is not because of anything you were doing wrong at the moment, but rather that the police were looking for you, anyway, and your car happened to pass by a police cruiser. Even if there was a warrant out for your arrest long before the traffic stop, you are still innocent until proven guilty. If you are reeling from a traffic stop that involved both an outstanding warrant and illegal drugs, contact a Pittsburgh drug crime lawyer.
Arrest Warrants in Pennsylvania
Police do not have the right to arrest you unless they have probable cause to believe that you committed a crime, such as if they find drugs in your car, or if they have an arrest warrant. An arrest warrant is an order from a judge authorizing police to arrest a particular person and initiate criminal proceedings against him or her. Police seek a warrant when a defendant is not in the presence of police when the police find strong evidence that the defendant committed a crime. To get a warrant, police must submit a statement to the judge describing the alleged crime and the person they want to arrest in connection with it. You can also be arrested because of a bench warrant. When someone who has been ordered to appear in court does not appear, the judge can issue a bench warrant on the spot, and then police will have the right to arrest the person wherever they find him or her.
In the News
In May 2023, police in Clearfield County stopped a truck as it was leaving a Sheetz gas station and arrested Clint Addleman, Bradley Maines, and Kaitlyn Evans. All three occupants of the truck had outstanding warrants; Evans’s warrant was for failing to appear in court, and the two men had outstanding warrants for drug cases. In the truck, police found fentanyl, Xanax, and drug paraphernalia. The defendants are facing charges for drug possession with intent to deliver.
Contact Gary E. Gerson About Drug Crimes
A criminal defense lawyer can represent you in criminal court if you are being accused of drug possession with intent to deliver. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.
Source:
wtaj.com/news/local-news/3-arrested-after-fentanyl-found-during-clearfield-county-traffic-stop/
