Ramey Warrant

A Ramey Warrant is an arrest warrant signed and issued by a judge directing a law enforcement officer to arrest a specific suspect. It is usually three or four pages in length and includes the name of the suspect, his or her address, and a physical description of the suspect. Included in the warrant is a statement of probable cause (prepared by the law enforcement officer & under penalty of perjury) and a description of the crime or crimes allegedly committed by the suspect. The statement of probable cause also lists the name(s) of the victim(s). There is a bail amount specified in the warrant. A Ramey Warrant is issued prior to the filing of criminal charges.

Typically, a Ramey Warrant is obtained by law enforcement in order to detain and interview a suspect in the hopes of obtaining incriminating statements or evidence from the suspect. When the suspect is arrested on the Ramey Warrant, he or she is held for 48 hours to complete the interview and turn over the file (evidence and statements) to the prosecutor's office wherein formal charges can be filed against the suspect. A Ramey Warrant usually remains valid for 90 days after its issuance.

Ramey Warrants bypass the District Attorney's office. Sometimes law enforcement will use a Ramey Warrant to obtain an arrest rather than wait for the District Attorney to file criminal charges. The flip side of this is that after a suspect is arrested and booked on a Ramey Warrant, the District Attorney's office has 48 hours (not counting weekends & holidays) to file formal criminal charges against the suspect; otherwise the suspect must be released from custody.

If you believe that you or someone you know has an outstanding arrest warrant, contact the criminal defense attorneys at Stephen G. Rodriguez & Partners for a free consultation and learn what legal options are available to you.