What do I do if there is a Warrant out for my Arrest?

Problem: There are two common situations which may result in the issuance of a warrant for your immediate arrest arising out of a San Diego California DUI case:

1) You were placed on probation in a San Diego county DUI court case and you may have inadvertently failed to do everything you were ordered to do, in a timely manner.

Solution: Find the final court papers and either the email or  cover letter from your DUI attorney sent to you after court.

If you are in San Diego County, immediately go down to the courthouse to recall the warrant.  When you go into the Clerk’s Office, they usually give you a choice of another date to come back so you can obtain what you need which is usually an extension and/or re-referral to program(s).

Ask yourself:

• Did you timely report to the Assessment Unit and/or the Collections Unit at your San Diego County courthouse?
• If so, were you given more paperwork with more dates?
• Did you timely file proof of anything due?
• Did you timely file proof of enrollment in a program?
• Did you timely file proof of completion of a program or a MADD class?
• Did you timely pay your fine payment?
• Did you timely report and complete any public work service program?

These are things only you can do.

Show the San Diego Superior Court all proof previously provided, to the court clerk’s office at the address of your final court papers in order to get your warrant recalled.

They will not require you to pay the bail amount unless there’s some other major problem (e.g. like a new DUI case).

All they want is for you to do everything you were supposed to do, meet with the Assessment & Collections Units and file and pay everything ordered, in a timely fashion.

The clerk or Assessment Unit can sometimes recall the warrant over the counter.  Usually you have to see the judge who will probably recall the warrant after you explain your common situation.

For San Diego County, the court can and may recall a warrant upon your written request in a letter.

Explain:

• What specific extension(s) you need,
• What you have done, and
• What you have not done (and why not).
• Ask the Presiding Judge to please recall your warrant.

Make sure you put your six digit Case Number of your San Diego Superior Court case and enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope to make it easier for the Court to respond.

Locations and first letter of six-digit Case Number for each address:

• San Diego Court, 1100 Union St., San Diego, CA  92101                 M xxxxxx
• North County Court, 325 S. Melrose Drive, Vista, CA  92083       CN xxxxxx
• South Bay Court, 500 3rd Ave., Chula Vista, CA  92010                 S xxxxxx
• El Cajon Court, 250 E. Main St., El Cajon, CA  92020                    C xxxxxx

You can not recall a warrant over the phone or online.

After you follow the above instructions, the warrant should be recalled without complication.

The court simply wants you to do everything ordered.  Only you can do these things.  So show the court you are doing that.

It is possible the San Diego Superior Court Clerk made a mistake.  Or maybe one of the DUI programs made a mistake.

That’s why you keep records and/or obtain copies of proof of enrollment and completion.

2) If you were originally given a court arraignment date after a San Diego DUI arrest, find that paperwork with the original court date. Check the spelling of your name and date of birth.

What do you do if you missed your San Diego county court date for a DUI and there is now a warrant?

Solution: Contact your San Diego DUI lawyer and provide that paperwork with the court date. Your San Diego drunk driving criminal defense lawyer can usually promptly recall the warrant. He or she will contact your San Diego county bail bondsman in order to obtain a declaration of non-collusion to ask the court to reinstate the bond because of missing the originally scheduled court arraignment date.