Missed Your Court Date? Here’s What to Do Next
If you were late for your court date or failed to appear, the court could issue a warrant for your arrest. You could also be charged with the separate crime of failure to appear (FTA) under California Penal Code Sections 1320 and 1320.5.
You will likely be arrested by police and held in custody until your next court date. If you are convicted of failing to appear in court, you face up to 364 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. But what if you missed court due to an accident?
What to Do if You Missed Court
If you missed your court date due to an unfortunate circumstance, a warrant will likely be issued for your arrest. Once you are taken into custody, the court will impose a bail amount that you must pay if you wish to be released. You will be held in custody until you post bail. Bail must be paid in cash or you may hire a bail bondsman to help you post bail. That’s why it is best to contact our law firm immediately if you missed your court date.
If you contact our law firm, our skilled attorneys may be able to convince the judge to recall the warrant and not require you to post bail. If we are successful, you will no longer have a warrant for your arrest and you will have saved a large sum of money in bail bond fees.
What a Criminal Defense Attorney Can Do for You
Your skilled lawyer may be able to use a variety of methods to help you avoid criminal penalties for missing your court date. The first thing your attorney may attempt to do if you’re unable to appear in court is arrange for a new court date. If you are physically unable to get to court, your attorney may file for a continuance of the case, which will require you to appear at a future date and not the original court date.
If you’ve already failed to appear and a warrant was issued for your arrest, your attorney may be able to have the outstanding warrant recalled. If this is unsuccessful, your attorney can arrange for your surrender, sparing you from the humiliation of being arrested at work or in a public place.
Lastly, your criminal attorney may be able to get failure to appear charges dismissed. Your lawyer will also work hard to obtain a favorable outcome in your criminal case.
Call Our Skilled Attorneys at Wallin & Klarich Today
If you have an upcoming court date and are facing criminal charges, you need to speak to a skilled criminal defense lawyer immediately. At Wallin & Klarich, our skilled attorneys have been successfully defending clients facing criminal charges for over 40 years. We will meet with you immediately to review the facts of your case and plan a defense strategy that will help you get the best outcome possible.
With offices located in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks, Torrance, Orange County, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, West Covina and Victorville, there is an experienced Wallin & Klarich criminal defense attorney available to help you no matter where you work or live.
Call us today at (877) 4-NO-JAIL or (877) 466-5245 for a free phone consultation. We will be there when you call.
