The biggest difference is that he was not the subject of the warrant, Ring was, so he didn't risk any issues about non-compliance with the warrant or anything.

The biggest difference is that he was not the subject of the warrant, Ring was, so he didn't risk any issues about non-compliance with the warrant or anything. Ring gave him a chance to challenge the warrant but decided not to. He might've just had to write Ring a letter, though he says in the article he thought he'd need a lawyer. If he was the subject of the warrant directly then he'd need to deal with the court directly, probably requiring the help of a lawyer. Ring deals with warrants all the time though, so they are probably a good resource for challenging these kinds of things.