I Was Arrested Weeks Ago, But Not Charged Yet – What’s Going On?

A: There are a few possibilities. If you were arrested but then released immediately and not booked into jail, the police most likely decided to issue a summons. This is common for misdemeanor crimes, especially if the police did not actually see you commit the crime. You will receive paperwork from the court instructing you what the charges are and when to appear. This will not happen instantaneously, because the police first have to apply for a complaint with the clerk magistrate, and you may have the opportunity to be heard in front of the clerk magistrate and ask for a dismissal or reduction of the charges before you are actually charged. If it has been several weeks, you may want to check with the clerk’s office to make sure they did not mail paperwork to the wrong address. If they did, and you didn’t show up to court when you were supposed to, they will issue a default warrant and you could get a nasty surprise later—being arrested and hauled into court to deal with it. Better to find out right away and deal with it on your own terms. That will most likely be whichever district court or branch of Boston Municipal Court has jurisdiction for the location where you were arrested. It is also possible the police have chosen not to bring charges, although that would be unlikely if they arrested you.