QUESTION
What do I do if I have a shoplifting case/warrant?
Asked on Aug 15th, 2014 on Criminal Law - New Mexico
More details to this question:
Well I was supposedly caught shoplifting in New Mexico and before my warrant was issued I moved to a different state to better my life. That following week the police department posted a picture on the local newspaper for a guy that has the same name as me but the next day posted a pic of me. They said I "took" $500 worth of baby formula from a store I used to work at (not the first time they accused me of shoplifting there) what should I do? I'm a hardworking man that hardly gets into trouble. And now the police department added some bogus charge of stealing an elderly’s purse! I really need some advice.
1 ANSWER
From a practical standpoint, I don't think the government would seek to extradite you for this because it is "merely" a shoplifting case. However, that warrant will remain active and so if you have family or friends in NM and you come back to visit, if you are stopped for any reason, that warrant will show up and you will be arrested at that time. Your options are to ignore or to deal with it. If you ignore, penalties increase. Your departure out of state creates an appearance of awareness of guilt. If you deal with it, you can make the argument that you came back to deal with it arguing the facts as you have stated and letting the court know that you take your role as a law-abiding citizen seriously. You may not be able to breathe easily until this is resolved.
Answered on Aug 18th, 2014 at 10:04 AM