Missed Your Court Date? What Can Happen and How to Handle It

Depending on the violation, you might have to appear in court several times. It may be for an arraignment, a pre-trial conference, hearing, trial, sentencing, or any other proceeding. If you fail to make an appearance as ordered, you commit another violation. Here is a list of actions that might be taken against you when you fail to make a court appearance:

• Bench warrant
  Once you are issued a bench warrant, you will be taken into custody and presented before the court to address the issue. You may be held without a bond until a hearing is scheduled by the court.
• Jail sentence and fines
  Yes! You read that right. Failure to appear in the court can land you in jail, too.
• Suspension of your driver’s license
  Your driver’s license can be suspended until you make an appearance in front of the judge or longer.
• Bond revocation or change in conditions of release
  The judge has the power to change your release conditions by imposing a bond or increasing the duration of your stay in jail. Yet, another troublesome situation.

If you are stuck in such a situation, get in touch with a traffic violation dismissal lawyer right away. With the help of a reliable attorney, you can get access to alternatives to going to jail directly.
Some of these alternatives are:

• Persuading the court to allow you to appear at arraignment instead of being taken into custody on the basis of an arrest warrant.
• Posting bonds on your behalf in order to schedule a new court date. Once posted, an attorney can still negotiate a plea agreement to keep the tickets off your record.
• Scheduling a hearing for addressing the bench warrant before you get arrested.
• An attorney can help you by arranging for you to turn yourself in instead of being picked up by the police.

An experienced traffic ticket lawyer knows the best ways of handling an arrest warrant and can advise their clients on the most suitable actions that should be taken next. He can appear in court with you, help you deliver a better explanation of the reasons behind your failure to appear, and can fight to keep you out of jail.

The experts at My Traffic Tickets promise you the best possible outcome for your case. They help you keep your record as clean as possible and even handle the most serious of the violations for you. For more information, contact us at 877-298-9099 right away!

Legal Disclaimer: The information contained in this site is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this site without seeking legal or other professional advice.