QUESTION:
Just received a letter from California with arrest warrants for battery, drinking in public, under the influence and unlawful collecting/removal/hauling of garbage from California for offenses that happened before 1999 been living in Washington state since October of 1998.
ANSWER:
If the charges are all misdemeanors, a private attorney can likely get the warrant recalled without you being personally present in court. Generally, if a person was not arranged and the case is 20 years old, it will be dismissed pursuant to Serna v. Superior Court. But it’s harder to get the dismissal on procedural grounds if you haven’t been in California. Regardless, it would be difficult for the DA to prosecute the case given that the police and witnesses are possibly no longer in the area. You should be able to get this whole thing sorted pretty easily.
