Arrest warrants are issued by a court or judge when a person, or group of people, is suspected of committing a crime. They are legal documents that give appointed authorities the right to arrest such person at any time. Arrest warrants also serve as evidence that a person can legally be arrested without violating their human rights. The warrant is entered into a universal police and court database that documents all warrants and related records. Now that you have a basic understanding of what an arrest warrant is, you can now understand what being a fugitive of the law means, and if it is related to arrest warrants or not.
Court-Ordered Warrants
Not all warrants are for an arrest. There are also search warrants that allow police and investigators to search a particular place or property; as well as, seize warrants that give legal permission for authorities to confiscate or apprehend property for further investigation. Now, when it comes to arrest warrants, a person is not always a fugitive. It all depends on when and how many warrants are issued for a person’s apprehension. When someone is arrested for a crime, and they fail to appear for their scheduled court hearing, an arrest warrant will be issued and yes, they are considered a fugitive until they are caught or choose to turn themselves in. When a person is “wanted” by the law, they are considered a fugitive; however, an arrest warrant can also be issued for minor infractions like traffic violations and unpaid parking tickets. Either way, a person is a fugitive if they are wanted by the law under an issued arrest warrant.
The best case scenario for anyone with an arrest warrant in their name is to turn themselves in immediately. Not only does this look good to the prosecutor and magistrate, it evades adding on additional legal troubles for a person. Fortunately, an individual can pre-arrange their bail when turning themselves in for an arrest warrant. This way, they only have to spend a limited amount of time in the processing center and can be released immediately after being booked. If a person turns themselves in without pre-arranging bail, they can still use a bail bond to get out of jail quickly. When a person chooses to NOT turn themselves in for an arrest warrant, and decides to wait around to get caught instead, they can expect to run into many problems. An individual with an arrest warrant cannot file tax returns, renew a drivers’ license, take out a bank loan, and more.