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Terms Used In Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure 497

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.

If an offense charged by indictment or information is a misdemeanor, the court may issue a summons, instead of a warrant of arrest, if it has reasonable ground to believe that the person will appear in response to a summons.  If the court issues a summons, it may later issue a warrant of arrest in place of the summons.