With a Warrant in Another County Can They Turn Themselves In

If your fiance is not currently incarcerated and has an outstanding warrant in another county, he can turn himself in directly to that county. Contacting the issuing county's sheriff's office or courthouse in advance to arrange a voluntary surrender is always the better approach than waiting to be picked up. Self-surrender is consistently viewed more favorably by courts than an arrest in the field.

If your fiance is already incarcerated somewhere and the warrant is from a different county, the situation works differently. The facility currently holding him will place what is called a detainer on his record. A detainer is a formal notification from the county with the warrant that they want to take custody of him when he is released or becomes available. He will not simply be released at the end of his current sentence. Instead, the other county will either send someone to pick him up or he will be transferred to their jurisdiction to face the outstanding charge.

The detainer stays in place until the issuing county either comes to get him, withdraws the warrant, or the matter is resolved through the courts. His attorney should be made aware of any detainer so it can be addressed as part of the overall legal strategy, particularly as his current release date approaches.