Clarkston Failure to Appear Lawyer

When you face arrest on criminal charges, you may be released from jail on bail or your own recognizance until your next court date. However, failing to appear at your next court date might result in additional penalties, including a warrant for your arrest.

If you or a loved one has failed to appear at a court hearing as scheduled, you may wish to contact a Clarkston failure to appear lawyer immediately. A knowledgeable criminal defense attorney may be able to help mitigate these consequences if you are in this situation.

When someone is arrested on a criminal offense, excepting those that could result in the death penalty or more than 20 years in prison, the court may set bail. Bail amount will depend on various factors, including prior criminal history, previous failures to appear in court, and the severity of the criminal allegation in question. Once an individual pays bail, they are released from incarceration, though they may be subject to certain conditions, such as remaining in the state.

The purpose of bail is to make sure that the accused person returns to court on scheduled court dates to face the charges against them. When people fail to appear in court as ordered, they forfeit their bail and may have a warrant issued for their arrest.

In some minor misdemeanor cases, a judge may release individuals on their own recognizance, or without paying bail. When this occurs, these individuals still must appear in court as ordered at later dates. However, as a Clarkston failure to appear attorney may advise, the court will still issue a warrant for your arrest if you fail to appear for a misdemeanor charge.

The court may issue a warrant for any new failure to appear charges and, in a traffic case, may suspend driving privileges as well. A conviction for a misdemeanor failure to appear can result in one year in jail and a fine of $1,000.

For more severe offenses, the judge may be far less likely to allow you a second chance to be released from jail. Consequently, you may have to remain incarcerated until the next court date or the resolution of their cases.

Penalties for a new failure to appear charge would be in addition to the sanctions that you potentially can receive in their original criminal cases. In most scenarios, a failure to appear can add significantly more time to criminal sentences, making the retention of a qualified failure to appear lawyer in Clarkston potentially all the more important.

Whether you intentionally or accidentally failed to appear in court, ignoring a warrant for your arrest will not help your case. Getting the advice of a Clarkston failure to appear lawyer may help you decide on the best methods of addressing your criminal charges and any warrant put out against you.

Waiting until law enforcement picks you up on a warrant is rarely a good idea, as doing so puts you at risk of remaining incarcerated for a lengthy period. As a result, it may benefit you to work with legal counsel to resolve your failure to appear as quickly as possible.