How To Find Out Charges Filed Against Someone

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The law do not have to tell you if someone has pressed charges confronting you. In well-nigh cases, you'll find out simply when enforcement action is taken, such as a warrant is issued for your arrest or you are summoned to appear in courtroom. Y'all can learn about court dates, demote warrants or pending cases through the courtroom system or district attorney's office. However, while the police are yet investigating the incident, at that place's not much you lot can do.

Play the Waiting Game

When people go to the constabulary to press charges, what they're actually doing is making a report. It's up to the police to investigate the incident and discuss the matter with the prosecuting attorney, who decides whether there's enough evidence to file criminal charges. You'll know if the report turns into criminal charges considering the constabulary volition come to arrest you. The best approach is to allow the police do their chore of weeding out unfounded reports from legitimate ones. The person who made the report cannot strength the police to file criminal charges, and y'all may discover that cipher comes of the investigation.

Check the Court Records

If the police decide not to arrest you simply there'southward testify of a criminal offense, the district chaser'due south office could file a complaint and serve discover for your advent in court. You'll learn about this when papers make it in the mail notifying you of the court date. Since papers take a few days to arrive, y'all can call the clerk of your local criminal court and ask if whatsoever courtroom dates, bench warrants or pending cases accept been filed. You tin can often search for this information online. Type "courtroom records [state or county where you are looking]" and see if this returns any records.

Call the Police

If you urgently need to know if someone has pressed charges against you, you tin telephone call the local constabulary department non-emergency number and ask. The police tin can run a warrant check, which would suggest if charges have been filed against you. Y'all are not, however, entitled to be informed of an ongoing investigation. This is to prevent the harassment of witnesses and victims and to make sure that the police are not impeded in the conveying out of their duties.

Read More: How to Sue a Police Section

Get a Copy of the Police Report

Certain law records are public documents. Defendants accept the right to run into police reports and so they know what they are accused of. If charges have been brought against you, you can request a copy of the police report through the commune chaser's office which is prosecuting the instance. The police written report will commonly tell you the nature of the incident, date and place it occurred, names of the parties involved and police reference number. Personal information may exist redacted or blacked out to protect the privacy of the person who pressed charges against you.

Be enlightened that you become a "defendant" only when legal charges are filed in court. If the original report does not result in enforcement action, and then you'll accept to employ for a copy of the constabulary report through the records sectionalization of your local constabulary section. In many jurisdictions, you can obtain copies only if the report has been closed.