If you got so much as a traffic ticket, you could have gotten a summons or a notice to appear in the mail. Certain charges could also schedule court appearances for your arraignment, pre-trial conference, hearing, trial, etc. If you missed any of these court dates, it means that you have broken a court order, which is a crime. A missed court date could result in a bench warrant, landing you with a charge of contempt of court or failure to appear. So what could this criminal charge mean for you?

One thing that is almost certain to happen is that a bench warrant will be issued, and this warrant charges you with failure to appear. This means that at any point you could be arrested, whenever an officer finds you, even for a simple traffic stop. An outstanding warrant has to be dealt with as soon as possible, else you could face the sudden prospect of jail. What do you do if you have an outstanding warrant? Call an attorney immediately. You are looking at some serious potential repercussions otherwise.

• A violated court order could mean a jail sentence as well as fines if you are convicted of being in contempt of court or of failure to appear.
• There are also some states where your driver's license can be suspended because of a missed court date. This suspension usually lasts until you show up in court.
• If you were released from custody on your own recognizance, that is, if you did not have to pay bail to get out of custody, then a missed court date could mean that a judge could decide to enforce a bond. This would mean that in order to get out of custody while your case is ongoing, you would now have to pay a bond, regardless of the conditions of your previous release.
• If you were already out on bond, then a judge could increase the bond. Or you might have to stay in police custody throughout your case.

You Need to Talk to an Attorney

There are ways to clear up the problems of a missed court date or an outstanding warrant. A legal expert can help you find out how to do so in your case. For instance, you might be able to get a court hearing to speak with the judge instead of getting arrested because of a bench warrant. If there is an arrest warrant out for you, then you might be able get an arraignment hearing instead of being held in custody. In some cases, a criminal defense lawyer might counsel you to turn yourself in instead of risking arrest. A legal expert in your area will be familiar with your state's laws concerning these issues; they can advise you as to what your best course of action is. You cannot afford to wait. Find the criminal defense attorney you need on our site today!