Question About Warrants Failure To Appear And Theft Houston Tx

What happens when a warrant for failure to appear expires?

Warrants for arrest for failing to appear in court do not "expire." Usually, the only method for removing them is to appear physically before the issuing judge.  The judge  disposes of the warrant in a manner the judge seems appropriate.Sometimes, the underlying case is dismissed. This does not lift the warrant. The defendant will generally still have to present themselves to the issuing judge.  Then, the judge may lift the warrant and resolve the matter or the judge might possibly place the defendant into custody for violating the court's order to appear on the missed date.  It's up to the issuing judge.Since every warrant will appear on someone's RAP sheet and because a history of inexcusable warrants can affect the amount of bail that may be set in a later case, if good cause exists in failing to appear, sometimes a defendant's attorney will state those facts and request that the warrant be expunged; removed from the defendant's record. That would be up to the judge to grant the request.  Also, warrants are generally placed into the issuing State's database and into the NCIC (National Crime Information Center) database so that a warrant in one State may be discovered by law enforcement in another State. (NCIC is a federal system so federal law enforcement would be able to look up a warrant as well). However, there is a hierarchy in the warrant system; some warrants are given higher priority. Some are given lower priority. Some warrants will notify other states whether the issuing jurisdiction will extradite the defendant. (The extraditing State has to bear the costs and use its own personnel, so depending upon the nature of the underlying offense and other factors, if a defendant is arrested in another State, the warrant may indicate "Will Extradite." But the issuing State is generally notified and may be given the opportunity to decide extradition).  The circumstances under which a person with a warrant for failing to appear is later entangled with law enforcement may affect how the warrant is handled at that time.  Some factors among others are: the nature of the underlying offense; the criminal history of the defendant; whether or not there has been a pattern of failing to appear on other occasions, in the present or in other court matters. There are too many factors to list in this kind of forum.

How long will a warrant for petty theft stay active before the courts just drop the entire thing?

Forever. Not the answer you wanted, I expect.Most courts and law enforcement agencies have files full of old arrest warrants, waiting to be served. Minor offenses like unpaid traffic tickets and petty theft don’t merit assigning a cop or two to go out, locate the person, and physically serve the warrant (although this does happen now and then), so the warrants sit in file against the day that a cop will run across the person named in the warrant. Then, surprise, you’re going to jail.Once in a while, a judge will issue an order to recall all misdemeanor warrants that are more than X years old (the “X” is usually double digits), but this is the exception, not the rule. The medium-sized city police department I worked for in the 1980s had well over 40,000 active misdemeanor warrants in file, most for unpaid traffic tickets.I once served a misdemeanor warrant that was over ten years old. The original violation was a ticket written by an animal control officer for an unrestrained dog. The dog’s owner foolishly blew off the animal control officer, who had retired but was still in the area and appeared to testify on the ticket.So, if you’re waiting until “the courts just drop the entire thing,” don’t hold your breath. You will be looking over your shoulder until the warrant is served, and its presence will likely follow you around and cause you to trip up on background checks and driver license renewals. It would have been a much better plan to just not commit the theft.Edit: I just saw the comment to the question. There is virtually no way to clear up the warrant from out of state. The court will almost certainly require an in-person appearance, and Walmart is known to be completely without mercy in these matters. Your cousin should also keep in mind that a theft arrest at Walmart generally means being banned from all Walmart properties. That means, if they want to get persnickety about it, he can be charged with trespassing if he goes into a Walmart anywhere in the country.

Do bench warrants expire?

Do a warrants check at checkingrecords.com Have a look at what companies, folks you know, and pretty much any person can easily research concerning you. Research reports consist of general public, court docket, criminal arrest, offender, critical, and various other reports.Do bench warrants expire? Deal with the warrant as soon as possible. Regardless of the charge, the best thing you can do for yourself is to respond quickly. Being proactive about your warrant helps you avoid being arrested publicly and at inopportune times. Moreover, it limits any accruing fees.Contact an attorney. In the event that a warrant has been issued for a major offense, you will most likely want to contact a criminal defense lawyer. An attorney can help you understand your warrant and will make suggestions as to possible next steps. In addition, an attorney can accompany you to the local court to inquire about your warrant. Bring the warrant number and all relevant information you have so far.Find an attorney that specializes in your type of case (you should know the case type from the warrant informationAvoid picking the first name you see in the phonebook or any other advertisement. Instead, get a referral from someone who's been in a similar situation, or someone knows a good attorney.You can also find attorneys by looking at your state bar association website. (A directory of state bar associations can be found atMeet with the attorney first to make sure that they're someone you're comfortable with and can trust.If you're unable to pay for a lawyer, contact the public defender's office of the county where your warrant was issued. Ask to speak with the duty attorney and explain you'd like to clear your warrant.