Warrant Recall Lawyer in Indianapolis
Have a warrant? Here is my plan to help you clear it.
Call Wynn. (317) 832-1182
Free consultation · Calls answered 24/7
By Myekeal Wynn, Attorney at Law
A warrant does not go away on its own. It can turn a routine traffic stop into a night in jail. Calling a lawyer first gives you options.
Arrest warrant, bench warrant, or probation warrant, on any kind of case. I move to get it recalled before you are picked up.
My three-step plan for your warrant
Step 1. Move to recall the warrant.
I file a motion asking the judge to recall the warrant and set a new court date. If the judge grants it, the warrant is gone and you walk into court on your own, with your lawyer, on a date you know about. Recalling a warrant is entirely up to the judge, so I give the court reasons: why court was missed, your ties to the community, and your plan to appear.
Step 2. Ask for a warrant surrender hearing.
If the judge will not recall the warrant, I ask for a hearing where you turn yourself in, in open court, with me beside you. Surrendering on your own shows the judge and the prosecutor that you take the case seriously. People who walk in voluntarily stand in a very different position than people brought in after a traffic stop.
Step 3. Fight for a lower bond or release without one.
If the first two steps do not succeed, they still count. Every motion I filed and every time you tried to come in is a record showing the judge you are not a flight risk and not a danger to the community. Those are the questions the judge has to answer in setting bond, and that record gives us a stronger argument for a lower bond or release on your own recognizance.
No lawyer can promise what a judge will do. What I can promise is that you will not face it unprepared.
Types of warrants
Arrest warrant on a new charge. A judge found probable cause, or a grand jury returned an indictment.
Failure to appear (bench) warrant. You missed court. Missing court can be its own crime: a misdemeanor, or a Level 6 felony if the original case was a felony. Your bond can also be forfeited. Ind. Code § 35-44.1-2-9.
Probation violation warrant. If you are held without bond, the law says you may not be held more than 15 days without a hearing.
Body attachment. A civil order, often for unpaid child support or contempt.
Do warrants expire?
A misdemeanor arrest warrant expires after 180 days, but the case does not. The prosecutor can ask for a new warrant. Felony warrants do not expire. Ind. Code § 35-33-2-4.
How to check for a warrant
MyCase usually shows a warrant in the case summary, but it has no warrant search. Some warrants are kept confidential until they are served, so a clean MyCase result does not prove there is no warrant.
Indiana has no statewide public warrant search. Be careful with third-party "warrant search" websites.
Watch for scams. Courts do not call or text demanding payment to clear a warrant.
I can check for you, in any Indiana county.
If you are picked up on a warrant
You will be booked into jail. If the warrant came from a different county, you may be held until that county picks you up.
With an active warrant, you may be held until a judge sets bond, and family usually cannot post bond ahead of time.
You will see a judge for an initial hearing.
Why call a lawyer first
I find out what the warrant is for and where the case stands.
In some cases, I can ask the court to recall the warrant or set a new court date.
I prepare the argument for your release. Indiana's court rules favor release without money bail for people who are not a flight risk or a danger.
We plan the safest way to take care of it. Some sheriff's offices, including Marion County's, run Safe Surrender programs.
Do not talk to police about your case without a lawyer.
How bond works on a warrant in Marion County
Marion Superior Court amended its bail schedule in November 2025, and the starting amounts for many charges went up. Read the Marion Superior Court Bail Schedule.
The schedule does not set your bond if a judge already put a bond amount on the warrant. It applies to people arrested outright, not to warrants with a predetermined bail.
An active warrant can mean no bond at first. Under the schedule, a person arrested with an active warrant, a pending case, or while on probation or parole is held without bond until the trial court sets bail.
That is why acting before an arrest matters. A recall or a surrender hearing puts the bond question in front of your judge with your lawyer present, instead of leaving you in jail waiting for a hearing.
Starting amounts under the schedule for people arrested outright:
Level 1 felony: $10,000 cash or $100,000 surety
Level 2 felony: $7,500 cash or $75,000 surety
Level 3 felony: $6,000 cash or $60,000 surety
Level 4 felony: $4,000 cash or $40,000 surety
Level 5 felony: $2,000 cash or $20,000 surety
Most misdemeanors: released on your own recognizance
Misdemeanor domestic violence: $2,000 cash
First OWI: $500 cash
What raises the amount. The schedule doubles bond for listed factors, including two or more failures to appear, living outside Marion County, two or more prior felony convictions, and being on probation, parole, or bond at the time.
The judge still decides. Bail may not be set higher than the amount reasonably required to assure your appearance. Ind. Code § 35-33-8-4(b). Either side can ask the court to change it for good cause. Ind. Code § 35-33-8-5. See how I ask for a bond reduction.
Cash bond versus surety bond
Surety bond. You pay a bail agent a fee, and the agent guarantees the full bond to the court. That fee belongs to the bail agent. It does not come back, even if the case is dismissed.
Cash bond. You, a family member, or a friend deposits money with the clerk of the court. Ind. Code § 35-33-8-3.2(a).
A cash bond can come back. After the case is over, the court orders the clerk to return what remains of the deposit to the person who posted it. Ind. Code § 35-33-8-3.2(b).
What can be taken out first. Small clerk fees, and, if there is a conviction, fines, court costs, fees, restitution, and public defender costs under the agreement signed when the bond was posted.
It can be lost. If you miss court, the deposit can be forfeited. Ind. Code § 35-33-8-7.
It can help pay for your lawyer. In some cases, the person who posted a cash bond can sign the refund over to your attorney to help pay legal fees. It is a written agreement, it is voluntary, and I explain how it works before anyone signs.
Bond schedules by county
Each county sets its own schedule. In most of them, a bond already written on the warrant controls, and a person on probation, parole, or bond is held until a judge sets bail.
Hancock County: set by the court
Monroe County: set by the court
Warrants on every kind of case
The warrant is the first problem. The case behind it is the second. I handle both: OWI and DUI, domestic battery, drug charges, probation violations, resisting law enforcement, federal cases, and family court body attachments.
Common questions
Can a lawyer get a warrant recalled without me going to jail? Sometimes. I file a motion and the judge decides. If it is granted, you get a new court date instead of an arrest.
Should I turn myself in? Talk to a lawyer first. A planned surrender in court, with a lawyer and a bond argument ready, is very different from walking into the jail alone.
Will I be arrested if I come to court? It depends on the warrant and the judge. That is why I ask for a recall or a surrender hearing first.
How much will my bond be? If the warrant has a bond on it, that is the starting point. If not, a judge sets it. I prepare the argument for the lowest bond the facts support.
Do I get my bond money back? A cash bond can be returned after the case, minus fees and anything the court orders taken out. A fee paid to a bail agent is not returned.
Can you check if I have a warrant? Yes, in any Indiana county.
Related: probation violations, resisting law enforcement, criminal defense.
Don't let a warrant decide your next move. Take your case into your hands.
Call Wynn. (317) 832-1182
Tell me about the warrant
Tell me the county, what the warrant is for if you know, and whether you missed a court date. I will check it and reach out to set up your free consultation.