The police have a warrant for your arrest for some type of drug charge and you don’t know exactly what to do. Knowing that the police have an arrest warrant with your name on it will be worrying. Even if you are innocent, you only have to read the papers to know that a court might not believe you. Or that even if they do, your life could be turned upside down in the process.
It is understandable, therefore, that some people think their best option is to run. Some do so literally by fleeing a chasing officer. Others sneak off into the woods in the hope that the police will somehow forget about them. Yet they will not. If the crime is serious enough, you could find yourself the target of an extensive search. If it is less serious, you still risk recognition by an officer, their systems or a member of the public in the future.
Should you hand yourself in straight away?
You should not try and run away, but a bit of preparation time can certainly help. So the first thing you should do is get legal guidance. An attorney may be able to do several things:
- Attend court on your behalf and get the warrant dropped
- Seek bail, so you do not end up in custody
If you try to do either of those things yourself, the police will happily arrest you when you turn up and throw you in a cell, making getting out again much harder.
If those plans fail or are not worth trying in your case, you can still use the time before turning yourself in to prepare your family, friends and employer for your absence. Each situation is unique, so getting legal advice to examine your case will be crucial if facing criminal charges.