There are few people in the world that you don’t want to upset.
One of these people is the judge. A great way to make a judge mad is by wasting his or her time by not showing up to a scheduled court case.
Court cases are serious matters with serious consequences. Check out what happens when you miss a court date. These potential consequences are sure to make you show up on time.
Driver’s License Suspension
What happens if you don’t show up for court? One of the consequences of missing a court date is the suspension of your driver’s license. The judge may immediately suspend your license until you show up for court and deal with your legal issues.
You could then be responsible for failure to report to court as well as driving with a suspended license. Both are very serious offenses.
Bench Warrant
“I missed my court date, now what?” A missing court date for a misdemeanor can result in the judge issuing a bench warrant for your arrest. This means that if you have any police contact following your missed court date or “failure to appear”, you will be immediately arrested.
Depending on your original charges, the police may be instructed to seek you out right away. In other, less severe, instances, the police may not be aware of the bench warrant until they pull you over for a traffic infraction. Typically, you will be held in jail without bond until you meet with a judge to discuss why you missed your original court date.
High Bail Bond
Are you asking yourself “what happens if I miss my court date”? There are times when a judge will release a person from an original bail bond. This is typically a result of an individual’s clean record.
If you miss the scheduled court date, the judge could then decide to add an even higher bail bond as punishment for being a no-show to a court hearing.
Criminal Penalties
What happens if you miss your court date? Criminal penalties can be incurred if you miss a court date. For example, a judge can order jail time or fines if you’re found guilty of failure to appear in court.
Know What Happens When You Miss a Court Date
Regardless of the situation, court dates are very serious. Unless there’s a serious emergency, a court date should not be missed. Even then, you should contact the appropriate authorities immediately so they’re aware of your situation.
When you follow the guidelines put into place after a date has been set, you won’t need to worry about what happens when you miss a court date.
Do you have any questions regarding bail bonds? Contact us today to talk to one of our professional bail bond agents. We will answer any questions and provide you with discreet and friendly service.