Understanding Bench Warrants: What You Need to Know
Bench warrants. Let’s talk about them. Hi, my name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a Tulsa criminal attorney with Wirth Law Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ve been practicing family and criminal law for almost eight years now, and I want to help you make law easy by talking a little bit about what a bench warrant is and how that affects you.
What is a Bench Warrant?
A bench warrant is one of the last things you want to see next to your name on OSCN or ODCR. Most of the time, a bench warrant is issued when someone fails to appear in court. It happens more often than you’d think. I’ve had plenty of cases where clients were scheduled for an arraignment, preliminary hearing, or some other court appearance, and for one reason or another, they didn’t show up. When that happens, the judge usually responds with: “Bench warrant issued. Bond is forfeited. Bond is tripled.” Not great.
The Importance of Court Appearances
Here’s the bottom line: Every time you go to court, unless your case is dismissed or resolved that day, you’re going to get another court date. Make sure you know what that date is. Write it down. Put it in your phone. Set reminders. Stick it on your mirror. Tattoo it on your forehead if you have to. Whatever works—just don’t forget it.
Now, occasionally, courts will offer a little grace. Say you’re running late, your car breaks down, or you’re too sick to attend — call your attorney. If we can alert the court ahead of time, they might agree to take the warrant under advisement, meaning they’ll note the missed appearance but hold off on issuing a warrant, just this once. But if you miss the next date, too? That grace disappears. The bond gets revoked, often tripled, and the warrant becomes active.
Steps to Take if You Have a Bench Warrant
So here’s the takeaway:
✅ Show up for your court dates.
✅ If you absolutely can’t, communicate with your attorney or the court as soon as possible.
❌ Don’t ignore it and hope it goes away.
If you already have a bench warrant and want to know how to fix it — or how to avoid sitting in jail while your case plays out — give me a call. We can help you take the right next steps.
Contact Us for a Low-Cost Initial Strategy Session
My name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a Tulsa felony attorney with Wirth Law Office, and I want to help you make law easy. For more information or to schedule a low-cost initial strategy session, call us today at 918-879-1681. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Let’s tackle your bench warrant together.
