Why CA Arrest Warrant Was Withdrawn

This evening’s headlines claim that the Sonoma County arrest warrant on Karrina was withdrawn and everyone seems surprised. Thought I’d post this thread to help explain why this may have been done.

The CA arrest warrant was issued by that court because Karr violated the terms of his bond release in the underlying porn case and fled to avoid prosecution. No effort was made by Sonoma County to apprehend Karr because the case is a misdemeanor and typically, jurisdictions won’t spend tons of taxpayer money to apprehend a misdemeanor felon. They simply wait until that felon surfaces again, usually in more criminal trouble, and then they’ll move to exercise the warrant to have him extradited back to the issuing jurisdiction.

In the Karr situation, apparently Lacy fanagled a bench warrant from a CO court without consideration for the Sonoma warrant. With both arrest warrants outstanding, this creates a major glich in the case at this point because we now have two jurisdictions with valid arrest warrants.

Karr will most likely be assigned a public defender in the LA court, although he does have the right to refuse representation. Nevertheless, that defense attorney could use the conflict in jurisdiction to delay extradition to CO until a court hearing could be held to determine which jurisdiction goes first. This can take weeks. If a judge were to determine that Sonoma County’s warrant should be honored first, Boulder could not get their hands on Karr until he stood trial or pled out on the flight and porn charges. Only then would he be free to be extradited on to Boulder. This could take weeks to months.

Because the case in CA is only misdemeanor, Sonoma County withdrew the arrest warrant to eliminate any defense strategy to delay extradition until a jurisdictional hearing and trial could be held and to expedite Karr's extradition to Boulder. IMO they are better off being rid of Karr altogether, although if it ends up he's not going to be prosecuted in CO, Sonoma County may then move to extradite him back to CA to stand trial there on the flight and porn charges.

Hope that helps explain the legal maneuvering going on here.

 

Thanks Deja and thanks for putting into plain language, I can't understand lawyerese.

Let the sideshow begin in Boulder.

 

John Mark Karr, who says he killed 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey by accident, will appear in court in Los Angeles tomorrow at 11 a.m. mountain time.
Superior Court Commissioner James Bianco will preside over the hearing.

Karr, 41, will be advised he is being held on one count of being a fugitive of justice. He will also be required to fill out paperwork, including a form asking him whether he chooses to waive extradition to return to Colorado for investigation of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault on a child.

"Hopefully, he’ll say yes," said LA District Attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons. "If he says, yes, they come and get him and then we’re out of it."


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4933157,00.html

 

"Karr, 41, will be advised he is being held on one count of being a fugitive of justice."

This charge is applicable in both cases since Karr didn't voluntarily turn himself in to Thai authorities for either the CA arrest warrant or the CO arrest warrant.