Outstanding Pinellas County Arrest Warrants
St. Petersburg / Clearwater Criminal Defense Lawyer
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| Watch our video to learn how we can help you resolve an Outstanding Pinellas County Arrest Warrant. |
Do You Have a Warrant?
If you have an outstanding arrest warrant in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or other area of Pinellas County, call us at (727) 578-0303.
We can:
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Immediately confirm whether a Pinellas County Sheriff's arrest warrant exists.
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Determine the amount of your bond.
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Tell you the nature of the criminal charge associated with the warrant and why the warrant was issued.
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Implement a strategy designed to dispose of the warrant and avoid your untimely arrest by the police.
You Have Three Options to Deal with an Outstanding Pinellas County Warrant:
OPTION #1: We can schedule a hearing with your judge to withdraw your warrant. (Typically, your best course of action.)
Your St. Petersburg / Clearwater attorney can request a bond reduction or a release on your own recognizance. An "R.O.R." is a release without bond, and is solely based upon your promise to faithfully make all future court appearances. We can coordinate a court date that is convenient to your return to Pinellas County. Your subsequent cooperation in voluntarily coming before the court reflects a responsible nature on your part and earns you great credibility. The Pinellas County judge may conclude that you are not a flight risk if you have appeared in court to address the warrant and have taken the time and expense to hire an attorney.
How We Can Help:
In many cases we can be quite successful in quickly resolving your outstanding arrest warrant. We may be able to offer you advice on accomplishing tasks in advance of your appearance before the Pinellas County Judge that will cast your case in the best possible light. Our office routinely represents individuals facing an outstanding arrest warrant issued for offenses alleged to have occurred in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or other areas of Pinellas County. Our experience in handling these local matters offers us insight into the best strategy and methods for presenting your case to the court.
Note: If your warrant is associated with a St. Petersburg / Clearwater misdemeanor or criminal traffic offense and you reside outside Pinellas County, your attorney can petition the Court to withdraw the arrest warrant without the need for you to return.
OPTION #2: Post a surety bond through a licensed Florida bail bond agency. (Will require additional expense and may involve posting collateral.)
Assuming that you already have a bond on the warrant, you may be able to use a bail bondsman. If you use a bail bondsman to post a "surety" bond, you will be charged a standard non refundable 10% premium of the bond amount. For instance, if the bond on your Pinellas County warrant is set by the Court at $5,000.00, you will be required to pay the Bondsman a non refundable fee of $500.00.
Depending on the size of your bond, and other circumstances, a bail bondsman may also require you to provide collateral for the bond. For example, if you have equity in your home or an automobile that equals or exceeds the full bond amount, a lien can be placed against such property in favor of the bondsman. Your subsequent failure to appear in Court would, of course, subject you to the loss of that collateral.
If a Bail Bondsman posts a surety bond on your behalf it is important that you comply with any and all conditions that he may impose upon you. (For example, maintaining regular contact with his office, not leaving the St. Petersburg / Clearwater area without permission, changing your residence/employment without notification, etc.) Your failure to comply with all conditions of your surety bond could subject you to a revocation of the bond, re-arrest on the original charge, and immediate incarceration within the Pinellas County Jail.
How We Can Help Facilitate the Posting of a Surety Bond:
We can discuss your unique circumstances with you and recommend whether the use of a bondsman may be in your best interest. For example, sometimes we can reduce the bond by appearing before the Judge and then have the bondsman post a surety bond on that reduced amount. If you need to get a bondsman involved we can recommend a bondsman in the St. Petersburg / Clearwater area and coordinate the processing of a surety bond with him. Having an attorney on your case will often assure the bondsman of your commitment to faithfully appear in court. This could translate into a greater willingness on the part of the bondsman to post a bond on your behalf.
OPTION #3: Have your attorney surrender you to the Pinellas county jail & pay a cash bond. (May be burdensome, incovenient and financially prohibitive.)
Assuming that the judge has already set a bond on your warrant and you are financially able to post the entire bond amount, you can do so by bringing the cash to the Pinellas County Jail. The jail authorities will not accept checks or credit cards. The terms and conditions of a cash bond provide that the Pinellas County Court will later apply any or all of your cash bond amount against any fines, court costs, or other financial obligations that might be imposed later at the time of sentencing. Otherwise, a person who posts a cash bond and subsequently makes all required court appearances, is entitled to a refund of the cash amount posted.
How We Can Help Facilitate the Posting of a Cash Bond:
We can arrange for you to surrender yourself on the warrant so as to expedite your booking process and secure a prompt release from jail by posting the cash bond. We can help expedite your release by insuring that your surrender doesn't occur during a time when the jail is in a lockdown phase because of a detention deputy shift change.
Arrest Warrants Associated with Violations of Probation or House Arrest:
Pinellas County Judges will often assign a "no bond" status on arrest warrants associated with violations of felony probation or house arrest. Warrants issued on a misdemeanor violation of probation may or may not have a bond amount associated with the warrant. A "no bond" warrant is often issued if the basis of the violation is associated with a new arrest or new criminal charge. If your warrant carries a "no bond" status it means that the Pinellas County Jail is not authorized to release you under any circumstances.
Your best course of action is to retain a St. Petersburg / Clearwater attorney who can schedule a formal bond hearing and make application to the Pinellas County Court for a Release on your own Recognizance. An "R.O.R." is a release without bond, and is solely based upon your promise to faithfully make all future court appearances. In many cases the Court will grant the attorney's request for an R.O.R. to a client who has pre-emptively taken the initiative to hire a lawyer so as to resolve the outstanding warrant. Even in cases where the Court is unwilling to grant an R.O.R., the judge can often be persuaded to set a reasonable bond amount since you have taken the initiative and shown good faith by appearing in court with an attorney (as opposed to having been "picked up" on the outstanding warrant).
Time is of the Essence!
Your arrest on the outstanding warrant by law enforcement can be untimely and embarrassing. Especially if it should occur at the work place, in front of neighbors, or worse yet, in the presence of young family members. Being arrested on a Florida warrant in a sister state could present additional problems associated with the cumbersome process involved in extradition proceedings.
It is therefore important to act quickly. Much credibility with a Pinellas County Court Judge may be achieved by immediately and voluntarily having your lawyer resolve the warrant issue. This course of action is far superior than having to appear in court as a captured fugitive.
Your Best Course of Action
Call our office to learn how we can help. We can discuss the best course of action to deal with your outstanding Pinellas County warrant. We can also counsel you on strategies designed to satisfactorily resolve your entire case.
The consultation is free and completely confidential. Call us at (727) 578-0303
