Maryland DUI Court Date Considerations

Following a DUI arrest, it is only natural to have certain questions about your court case. While you can find information about the court date by doing a Maryland judiciary key search, there might be certain Maryland DUI court date considerations that you want to know more about. A knowledgeable DUI trial attorney could answer questions you may have about your court date while working to build your defense. Speak with a skilled lawyer that could build a solid case for you.

Necessity of Appearing in Court

A person must appear in court even if they have retained the services of a lawyer. Lawyers can waive out appearances for payables, but for serious traffic offenses in which there is a jailable consequence, a person has to show up. A bench warrant can be issued for a person’s arrest if they do not appear in court, and once they are arrested they could be held on bond. Some judges will hold the bond returnable only to that judge. If an individual is arrested and held, the consequences could be catastrophic. One of the Maryland DUI court date considerations to keep in mind is, what could happen if an individual were to miss their court date.

Consequences of Missing a Court Date

A bench warrant is issued, and if a person is pulled over in any state and they do a warrant check on that person and they see something in Maryland, Maryland will come pick that person up.  As far as extradition goes, again it is a process. An individual could be held for up to 30 days. If the person is picked up in another state, and they waive extradition, okay, but the problem they are in is that extradition at that point does not have to happen immediately as long as they can show good cause and they have the Governor’s warrant to retrieve a person. They are going to come get a person and the state will hold them for a little bit more time if the request is there and it is reasonable.

Reasons for Changing a Court Date

There are always circumstances that require a change of court date because an individual is unavailable, out of the country, is in the military/deployed, etc. Attorneys have issues with conflicting dates as well, but sometimes it makes sense to delay a court date if the defendant wants to complete a treatment program. There are always reasons to delay a court date, but they have to be good reasons because an attorney will have to file a motion and the judge will have to approve and grant that motion. Sometimes it is also easier to call up a state’s attorney and give them an explanation, to see if they would consent to a continuance and then file the motion as consent.

Court Considerations for Out-of-State Drivers

The court usually issues a notice about four to six weeks before the trial is set to occur. notice. That is usually good enough for those out-of-town people to make it back to their town. If a person is from another country, then there might be other Maryland DUI court date considerations to keep in mind. A person certainly wants to make sure that they are available and will be present in court. Without the defendant present, it is really difficult to argue a case. If an individual wants to know more about what to expect of their trial or they need defending, they should speak with a skilled DUI lawyer that could build a solid defense for them.