Many people have outstanding warrants. Maybe they failed to appear for court many years ago or were charged with a crime and the warrant was never served. Either way, there are ways to determine if a warrant exists.

First, you can check Maryland Judiciary Case Search. The court's website will show some warrants, but not all. For example, if a judge issued a bench warrant, it will appear. This often happens if someone fails to appear for a trial date. However, if a charge is filed and a judge issues an arrest warrant, it will be hidden until the warrant is served and will not show up on Case Search. This is because the court fears that if one knows about the warrant, they will hide and try to evade being arrested.

The good news is that there is usually a way for an attorney to see the warrant. They can login to the court's electronic filing system and search your name to see if there is a case that does not appear online.

Assuming there is a warrant, an attorney can file a motion to quash the warrant and ask that a summons be issued. Not all motions to quash will be granted. The less serious the charge, the more likely the motion will be granted. It also depends on other factors such the Defendant's prior record and whether the State objects.

A warrant is a serious matter. The police can stop someone for a minor traffic violation and will arrest someone who has a warrant. The individual may then spend a night or longer in jail. If the warrant is in another state, they can be held until the authorities decide whether to come and get them. It is better to discover the warrant in advance and deal with it to avoid this situation.