Re: How do I clear a warrant without going to jail
Thank you for your posting, and I am sorry to hear about the unfortunate situation that you're in, that has snowballed into a much larger unfortunate situation.
As you know, you are going to have to clear this warrant. You should do this as soon as possible, as each day that goes by not only exposes you to possible arrest, but also makes you look more irresponsible to the court. You can recall the warrant by going into court yourself, or with an attorney present, or with some courts and some judges, appear through an attorney without you being present.
From there, you should show any documents to your attorney (and in turn through him or her the court) that shows that your original theft charge was dismissed. One possibility is that the reduced sentence or charges was only to be done upon successful completion of your probation. Another, alternative possibility is that this is just an administrative or clerical error on the court's part. I'm not sure it will make a difference as to your punishment, but you should clear this up.
Finally, to answer your question, yes, it is possible to negotiate for the goal of avoiding jail time. You will want to pay the $100 state restitution fund contribution (and I believe this is what you were to pay $100 to the court for, not a fine) as soon as the court allows you, this week if possible, and then deal with what is basically a probation violation.
I can't say this enough -- the key is to show responsibility. The judge you appear in front of (or that your lawyer appears in front of) is going to want to know that this will not happen again, and that you will not be chronically missing deadlines and dealing with the court for forgotten deadlines or broken promises. Hiring an attorney to deal with this professionally shows responsibility. So do letters from your employer, school, public service, etc., and that will cause your sentence to be lowered.
When I deal with clients who are in your situation, I typically negotiate with the judge for no jail time, by showing responsibility (that word again), and the consequences of jail on you now that you've got your act together, and try to reduce jail to zero, and THEN bring up a fine, instead of converting a large jail sentence into a fine, which judges won't be likely to do (and based upon your past conduct may be afraid you'll not pay).
I hope that all of this information helps, and that it answers your question. If you want more details, or if you feel that you need legal representation, as I do, please feel free to email me directly at rmiller@expertlawfirm.com. I am pleased to help in any way that I can to extricate you from this unfortunate situation.
