What Do I Do if I Miss Court?
Life is complicated. We all have lots of obligations and it isn’t always easy to balance them. This is especially true if something unforeseen gets added to the mix. However, what happens if one of those obligations is a Criminal Court Appearance and you miss it?Maybe it is a job obligation, missed ride, a broke down car, a sick kid or maybe you just forgot it. What do you do? If you are in this situation, first thing you need to do is call your criminal defense lawyer. If you don’t have one, maybe now is the time to get one, especially if the charges you are facing are serious. Contact an experienced Minnesota criminal defense attorney to discuss your options.
“If you missed Court, don’t ignore it. It will not go away.”
What Will The Court Do To Me?
If you are facing serious criminal charges here in Minnesota and you miss a court date, it may go one of several ways. There are a whole series of possible options including:
The Judge will simply continue the hearing to a new date; or
The Judge will issue a warrant for your arrest and set a bail amount; or
The Judge will issue a warrant for your arrest, body only.
Essentially, the first option means the Court simply resets the date and there are likely no consequences. While this may occasionally happen, on more serious cases or in later appearances, this is highly unlikely. In the second option, the Court issues a warrant for your arrest and the police will be looking for you. Your options are to either pay the bail amount required by the court or turn yourself in and appear at your next appearance from custody. If you pay the bail, the Court will quash the warrant and reset the Court date. In the body-only warrant, you have no options. You must turn yourself in to the jail. While there are sometimes things an experienced criminal defense attorney can do to mitigate the damage, there are limits.
“The faster you can let your criminal defense attorney know, the better off you may be.”
The Take-Away
To put it simply, don’t miss Court. Show up on time ready to proceed. If for some reason you can’t, call your criminal defense attorney immediately. Be honest and let them know what is going on. Your attorney can sometimes help but if they don’t know what’s up, they could make it worse. After all, some judges take it personally and if you tell them something, they will ask you for documentation, i.e. I was in the hospital. If you don’t have it, it could go poorly indeed. If your attorney is prepared at the hearing, you might have a chance. If you don’t have a lawyer, reach to Court Administration in the County of the charge as fast as you can.
Go with the Best
Jack Rice is a Minnesota Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist and former prosecutor. He is also a nationally renowned criminal defense attorney and Founder of Jack Rice Defense, a boutique criminal defense firm based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Contact Jack Rice Defense for a free confidential consultation or call 651-447-7650 or 612-227-1339.