dreamer81

That's also what I am thinking. If there was a warrant for my arrest, wouldn't I have heard something from the Arizona police, or from my own local police???

dg4255

As for fleeing the country, they would have to prove that he knew of an investigation or pending charges/warrant before he could be charged with "Fugitive Fleeing Prosecution". Second, the US Constitution bars individual states from negotiating or contacting any foreign government regarding crimes/criminals/wanted persons. Those responsibilities can only lie with the federal government. This is why many people can and do go overseas and never face prosecution because the state cannot get the feds to step in unless it is a crime of great magnitude or high-profile. Third, I am not sure you have mentioned your country of nationality, but in the case of several countries, it is forbidden to extradite citizens of certain countries to other countries. In Europe, France and Poland are quite famous for this. Look at Roman Polanski.
Any lawyer in AZ should be able to get the authorities to pull an NCIC on you to see if there are any outstanding warrants. All law firms accept credit cards, so they might only charge you a minimal fee (less than $100) to do that for you. If there are no warrants, then you are good to go.
If you don't check first, and you decide to go, and there is a warrant, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. SAY NOTHING!!! NOTHING!!! "I want a lawyer and to contact my embassy/consulate." That's it!!

dreamer81

And since I have no idea that they want to talk to me, the statutes were probably eneded? Which meens the warrant has expired by now?

I have a friend in the US who knows a bounty hunter. He checked me up. And he couldn't find anything. Is that sufficient?

MarcWPhoto

Ah, but that was then and this is now and the OP is a foreign national. While I agree that from what we know it seems likely that he has not got that much to worry about, even though I am not giving him legal advice and I am not his lawyer, he does have cause for some concern and unless his business is so important it's worth the admittedly small risk that there are outstanding warrants for his arrest, he needs to clear it up before he enters the US.

Incidentally I agree with the prior poster who said that Polanski's doin's were not comparable to the OP's, and I apologize if it seemed that I was equating them. Again, based on what we know, I have no reason to think that the OP is a particularly evil person. I only meant to point out that once a crime, especially but not limited to a sex crime, goes on your record it can stay there a long, long time and follow you a long, long ways.

M

MarcWPhoto

What that person was talking about was the possibility that you could be charged with a separate crime for purposefully fleeing the country (i.e. evading arrest.) He's right in that I shouldn't have phrased it that way: I'm not a criminal lawyer. However, the question of whether you could be charged for fleeing - which would be tough in most jurisdicitons since you left before you knew about the charge, but don't take it as given - is separate from whether the statute of limitations applies to the original charge. As others have pointed out, the general rule in the US is that if the suspect is out of the country, the statute does not run.

I would take that as a very good sign but I would still talk to a lawyer. I'm not sure what the bounty hunter (the modern PC term is "Bail Bond Recovery Agent," I think ) looked at. You could only be on a bail-bond recovery list if you'd posted a bond and failed to appear. Obviously you didn't. Most states do not offer general apprehension rewards for suspects, so you wouldn't necessarily have a bounty on your head from the state even if there were a charge pending. A NCIC check, as someone said, is probably what you want to look at.

M

dreamer81

i understand

dreamer81

who should I call to get such a check performed? Is that a lawyer or the police department?

bbc1969

You can try a lawyer, or the Gila County Sheriffs Department, or even maybe the Gila County Attorney (county prosecutors office).

1. The lawyer may be able to help, but they will want money. No guarantee they will even want to mess with your situation.

2. Sheriff's Department may or may not help you. Call's of "Do I have a warrant" are a pain, and come in more often than you think. They may have a policy not to give out that information with a phone call. Most likely so. It's not just as easy as loading your name in a computer. By law agencies have to have a reason to be running people in NCIC. An "odd" call out of the blue from overseas may not cut it in the opinion of the operator on duty who is the one responsible if things. don't go right.

3. Same with the County Attorney's office.

You would want to ask for the warrants section if during normal business hours. You need to have your thoughts straight, and know what you are asking for before you call. No offense, but if they get a call from overseas, and if they can't understand what you are saying, asking about warrants, they will loose patience quickly.

I personally don't think you have anything to worry about. But I am not a lawyer. Take my opinion as such.

Get on the plane, come to America. Sweat it out, go thru immigration and customs. Then breathe a big sigh of relief when you come out the other side.

IMStill4Travel

Or....be pulled aside, interrogated, driven straight to jail and be prepared to be somebody's biotch.

fbrown627

Is it possible that the girl, being young and hurt, just threatened to "turn you in" but did nothing?

Calling the police a month after you left is kind of suspicious. And you were already out of the country.

Timing is very important. If the complaintant takes too long, it may not be taken seriously by the DA. And do you really think she's going to hold a grudge six years later?

I'd take the advice here of contacting an attorney. How about a local attorney where you live who may have contacts in the US?

gfunkdave

I have to agree, after reading this whole thread.

Psychocadet

Don't give them that much credit... they may have put a warrant out... and US ICE may kno about it.... but I really doubt they called interpol or your national police. That is because they are unlikley to spend the money to extrodite you .

Psychocadet

You don't THINK you are guilty. IF you had sex with her in ARIZONA and IF she was under under the age of consent AND there are no applicable statutory exceptions THEN you RAPED her.

Please do yourself a favor and do not reply to this post with any specifics because they can be used against you.

Ari

I don't see a likely problem, but my advice is worth what you paid for it.l

rc408

You can look up any information on AZ court cases by going to this site: AZ Court or you know the county it may have been reported to you can go to their website.