Often, people stopped by police, either because they are leaving or re-entering the country, they are being pulled over for routine stops, or they have committed a minor traffic offense, such as speeding, and it is found that they have outstanding warrants. When these warrants were issued in other states, the person is usually extradited, that is, sent back to the state in which the alleged crime was committed. Sometimes, this can involve sending the person back to another country.

However, there are also situations in which police find an outstanding warrant and are not allowed to do anything about it. In this case, it is a non-extraditable warrant. When a non-extraditable warrant is issued, it means that if the person if found in the state or country in which it was issued, police can arrest him or her. If, however, the person is found in a different state or country, the government does not think it is worth it to pay the costs of transportation back.

According to some reports, there are as many as 108,000 non-extraditable warrants currently active throughout the U.S. While the vast majority of them are for low-level misdemeanors, some are actually for felony crimes. The only reason an officer of another state can arrest someone with a  non-extraditable warrant is if he or she commits a crime in that area.

Many people who have outstanding warrants are unaware of it. If you believe that there might be a warrant against you, or if you have found out that there is, it is in your best interest to contact a Tampa Criminal Defense Lawyer at Thomas & Paulk.

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