Washington County Failure to Appear Lawyer

A failure to appear in court typically may place you at risk of additional and greater penalties than you were initially facing. Since a failure to appear in court can be a separate misdemeanor offense, you could face penalties for a conviction on that charge in addition to the potential penalties that you already may be facing for a criminal charge. A Washington County failure to appear lawyer could be critical to building a defense to failure to appear charges and minimizing the penalties that you might incur if convicted.

Failing to appear in court often results in the issuance of a warrant for your arrest. An outstanding warrant could cause you to face an arrest while at work, home, or out with your family. You may be able to avoid these embarrassing and unwanted consequences if you begin working with a seasoned criminal defense lawyer right away.

Court Citations and Failure to Appear

Police officers often cite individuals into court to face minor criminal charges. These charges are more severe than parking citations or some traffic violations, but generally do not rise to the level of a felony offense for which persons might be subject to immediate arrest. Anyone who fails to appear in court in response to a citation can face a bench warrant for their arrest, as well as misdemeanor charges under law.

Individuals charged with misdemeanor failure to appear in court can be ordered to serve up to 90 days in jail and pay a fine of $500. If convicted of the offense for which they failed to appear, they could face additional penalties. If the other charges call for a jail sentence, however, individuals may be able to serve their sentences of incarceration at the same time as their sentences for their failure to appear charges.

Jury Duty and Failing to Appear in Washington County

Md. Code, Cts. and Jud. Pro. Law § 8-504 requires that all persons who receive summonses to appear for jury duty. If judges summon persons for jury duty and they fail to appear, judges may order those individuals to appear at a later date to show cause why they were unable to appear and face potential penalties. As a result, even people who have a good reason for failing to appear should notify the court and provide documentation supporting their situation.

Individuals who fail to show good cause for why they did not appear for jury duty could spend as long as 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Due to these potentially harsh penalties, individuals may wish to consult a failure to appear lawyer in Washington County for advice.

Natural Resources Officer Citations and Failing to Appear

While the procedures differ, individuals who fail to appear in court in response to citations that natural resource officers have issued them ultimately can face a bench warrant for failure to appear. If a person who was subject to an order to appear stemming from a natural resource’s citation fails to appear, post bond, or otherwise pay their fines, the court could issue a bench warrant for their arrest. Alternatively, the court could advise the clerk of the failure to appear five days after it has occurred. At that point, the clerk would notify the person by mail to pay fines or post a bond and request a court date.

If the individuals do not respond to the notice that the clerk has mailed, the court may issue a bench warrant for their arrest. However, if the original offense does not carry the potential for a jail sentence, the court cannot issue a warrant for failure to appear earlier than 20 days following the regularly scheduled trial date. To deal with a bench warrant arising from any failure to appear in court, contact a failure to appear attorney in Washington County for assistance may be advantageous.

Call a Washington County Failure to Appear Attorney for Advice

The ramifications of failing to appear in court could result in public arrest. Instead of risking these potential repercussions, consider speaking to a Washington County failure to appear lawyer for advice and counsel.

Getting legal guidance in these matters may be helpful regardless of your circumstances. Call today to get the legal help you need.