April 1, 2021 marked the beginning of a glorious opportunity for anyone saddled with a bench warrant in courts in and around Western Washington. This is so because many courts of limited jurisdiction in King County have agreed to open a 90 day window 4/1/2021 – 6/30/2021) to resolve any outstanding bench warrant(s). The program offers amnesty for many of those with warrants under $5,000 via a simple administrative process. Those with warrants valued at over $5,000 may also benefit from the amnesty opportunity, but must have a judge authorize it. The amnesty project includes cases involving no contact orders, DUI’s, Physical Control, Domestic Violence and several other misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors – i.e. Reckless Driving and Negligent Driving.
Why is this being done? Well, the Courts have come to understand and realize that due to COVID-19 restrictions there has been a lot of confusion about how to access the courts’ systems. They believe that by providing amnesty folks can better navigate what has become a real challenge, as many courts are now being conducted virtually and there have been a ton of cases postponed or put on the ‘back-burner’ due to the pandemic.
If you have a warrant in one of the participating court’s, you can now reach out to the applicable court, and file a request to resolve it by phone, by e-mail or even in writing. The court will need either the case number, or your personal identification to process your request. Certainly, if you are more comfortable working through an attorney, you can do that too. The key is to take advantage of this 90 day amnesty period and get that warrant quashed. Once it is resolved, the case will move forward and you can have some piece of mind that you won’t be picked up and thrown in jail on the warrant.
If you or a loved one is facing a criminal charge (whether it be in municipal, district our superior court), don’t hesitate to hire a qualified Seattle Criminal Defense Lawyer. The Seattle Criminal Defense Attorneys that make up the criminal defense team of SQ Attorneys are highly qualified and reputable Seattle criminal attorneys that are dedicated to providing top notch, aggressive representation for those arrested or charged for crime all across Western Washington and the Greater Puget Sound region. The team creates success by working with law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney’s office to ensure that all facts and circumstances related to the allegations are considered in creating the fairest, most equitable and just resolution possible in light of all the surrounding circumstances of the given case. So, whether you are cited with an infraction or arrested and/or charged with misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor or a felony, protect yourself … call SQ Attorneys at (206) 441-0900.
