Ventura’s violent crime rate is 21.1%. If you were to receive a bench warrant in Ventura, the first step is to follow up on its existence. If there was a mistake or an error made, then it should be resolved before anything else happens.

However, that would require contacting the agency that issued it and communicating with them. So if you have a bench warrant for your arrest, contact a Ventura criminal defense lawyer immediately.

Know if You Have a Bench Warrant 

Check if you have any warrants against your name. You can do this by contacting the court clerks, who may also provide information on how to resolve the issue.

In some cases, they will not even show warrants if there isn’t one in the system. If you are unsure if you have a warrant, go to your local police station and ask for help.

Get Arrested on Your Warrant 

The second step is getting arrested so you can get it cleared up with the court. Not getting arrested is not an option because it would be pointless. You may note that if someone goes to jail for their warrant, they will not be given any credit towards time served for their prior arrest.

So even though they were willing to turn themselves in, they must still serve out another sentence.

Choose Between Bail or No Bail 

If you can get out of jail, then there will be options on how to proceed. You can either pay the entire bail or get a bond that is less than the total amount of bail.

The only benefit to paying it all is that you will get your criminal record cleared entirely if you are found not guilty at trial.

Get Your Case Brought to Trial 

If the defendant wants to clear the name of the charges in Ventura, then they have the right to fight in court. This may mean hiring a Ventura criminal defense lawyer, explaining your innocence, and filing motions for discovery.

There is no guarantee that every case will go to trial. Still, you should inform the court that you want your case heard in court instead of just pleading guilty.

This approach works if there is no evidence against you in the beginning stages.

Winning Your Case Will Clear Your Warrant 

Assuming that you went to trial, then the judge will find you not guilty of false arrests.

In other words, they will give a legal ruling against charges being brought up against you because there was insufficient evidence from the beginning.

With this case over and done with all charges dropped, your arrest warrant has been cleared.

Be Aware of Future Legal Consequences

Ventura, CA, witnessed around 30 homicides in 2014. A future infarction can lead to another warrant being issued for your arrest. Identify yourself and check in with authorities every so often if required by law.

If nothing else is committed, then it may just be better to stay out of trouble.

Understanding what to do with a bench warrant in Ventura, CA, is crucial because it could end up becoming an active warrant which would lead to you being arrested and possibly serving time in jail.