Nikola Dragovic, UCLA's Serbian star forward, was arrested last Friday in connection with an incident that took place after a concert in Hollywood last month. Dragovic and a friend have been accused of pushing a man into a glass display case following an argument. Initially, Dragovic filed a report of the incident with UCLA's campus police. But after the district attorney filed a felony assault charge against him and issued a Warrant for his arrest, Dragovic turned himself in after a game against Cal State Bakersfield. While Dragovic was booked and later released on bail, he has been suspended from playing basketball for the university. Dragovic plans to plead not guilty when he appears before a judge in late December. Now is a great time to discuss the different types of Los Angeles Warrants that are issued in the city. Our nation's Constitution protects us from being arrested or searched for no reason. Warrants essentially give a Los Angeles police officer the right to arrest, detain, or search you in connection with a crime. All Warrants issued in the city are court orders signed by a Los Angeles County judge. A warrant for arrest is issued in cases like Dragovic's where a defendant is suspected of having committed a crime, but has not yet been arrested by law enforcement agents. A bench warrant is typically issued when a defendant has failed to show up at a scheduled court date. Bench warrants are then issued allowing law enforcement agents to hunt you down and bring you before the court. Search warrants give Los Angeles law enforcement agents permission to either search you or a particular location in connection with a crime that has been committed and that you are believed to be involved in. Once you find out that either an arrest Warrant or a bench Warrant has been issued in your name, it is important that you contact the Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP immediately. As experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys with decades of experience in dealing with all types of warrants, we know that ignoring warrants can lead to big problems. Call today for expert legal advice and help in dealing with any warrants issued against you. Tagged as: arrest warrant, bench warrants, los angeles criminal defense attorney, los angeles warrant

Comments:

allan on December 23, 2009 at 5:38 p.m. wrote: The article of this blog very informative and useful also.It resolves many problems of mine. I loved it.thanks for this marvelous article................... willson on December 23, 2009 at 4:03 p.m. wrote: Interesting… I might try some of this on my blog, too. It's quite interesting how you sometimes stop being innovative and just go for an accepted solution without actually trying to improve it… you make a couple of good points Vincent Palladino (UCLA) on December 9, 2009 at 12:43 a.m. wrote: Dragovic's lawyer said the other man was the aggressor, was drinking heavily and had slapped Dragovic's roommate. He claims Dragovic attempted to leave, but was followed from the third floor of the theater by the man, who said he had a knife and threatened to kill Dragovic. The purpose of these claims is to dismantle the villain role associated with Dragovic and reinforce the notion that he was provoked and responded rationally to these dire circumstances. However, skeletons indeed hang in Dragovic's closet – he was also suspended for one game last season on suspicion of pushing his former live-in girlfriend to the ground during a dispute. He was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. Although prosecutors decided not to file charges, the incident will definitely be taken into account in determining Dragovic's punishment. Dottie on December 2, 2009 at 7:48 p.m. wrote: Great article. Thanks for sharing! Sarah Zarrabi on November 29, 2009 at 4:36 p.m. wrote: That all Los Angeles Warrant are issued by LA County judges sharply underscores the necessity of jury trials in our system. Indeed, the only reason that judges have the right to issue a warrant such as that issued against Dragovic (i.e. where a warrant is issued against a defendant who is suspected of having committed a crime, but has not yet been arrested by law enforcement agents) is because their power is eventually checked by jury members during a trial. Imagine the consequences of retaining current Los Angeles Warrant policies if trial by jury is eliminated…Let's say that a writer in the LA Times writes an op/ed piece in which he blasts all LA judges as arrogant idiots. A “judge with a grudge” against this writer could potentially issue a warrant for the arrest of the disliked individual, accusing him of some petty crime. Without trial by jury, the writer would be given a bench trial. Even if that judge is not the one who decides the case, the writer would be hard pressed to find any judge in LA County who could give him the fair and unbiased trial he is entitled to. Corruption of this sort would have few, if any, checks. As such, the Los Angeles Warrant policies are legitimate only in a system that has a viable power-checking mechanism in place. Sarah Zarrabi on November 29, 2009 at 4:34 p.m. wrote: That all Los Angeles Warrant are issued by LA County judges sharply underscores the necessity of jury trials in our system. Indeed, the only reason that judges have the right to issue a warrant such as that issued against Dragovic (i.e. where a warrant is issued against a defendant who is suspected of having committed a crime, but has not yet been arrested by law enforcement agents) is because their power is eventually checked by jury members during a trial. Imagine the consequences of retaining current Los Angeles Warrant policies if trial by jury is eliminated…Let's say that a writer in the LA Times writes an op/ed piece in which he blasts all LA judges as arrogant idiots. A “judge with a grudge” against this writer could potentially issue a warrant for the arrest of the disliked individual, accusing him of some petty crime. Without trial by jury, the writer would be given a bench trial. Even if that judge is not the one who decides the case, the writer would be hard pressed to find any judge in LA County who could give him the fair and unbiased trial he is entitled to. Corruption of this sort would have few, if any, checks. As such, the Los Angeles Warrant policies are legitimate only in a system that has a viable power-checking mechanism in place. California State University Lo on November 27, 2009 at 7:24 a.m. wrote: We have a few college students online from college of California State University Hayward and we love your blog postings,so well add your rss or news feed for them, Thanks and please post us and leave a comment back and well link to you. Thanks Jen, Blog Manager,