What To Do If You Have Missed Court After Being Released From Jail On Bail
Bail acts as assurance to the courts that you will return for your trial, and if you fail to show up for your trail, you forfeit the bail you have paid. If a bondsman has posted your bail, you are essentially forfeiting his or her money. If this happens, you need to respond calmly and responsibly.
Here's what to do if you miss your trail after posting bail:
Contact the courts.
If you simply got the dates confused or were sick, you should call the court as soon as possible. When you fail to show up for a court date, the judge can typically issue a bench warrant. This is a warrant for your arrest issued directly from the judge's bench, and if one has been issued for you, the police will be looking for you.
Don't let them hunt for you. Instead, turn yourself in. It helps to make you look more innocent.
Call your bondsman.
In most states, if you default on a bondsman's agreement, the bondsman can send a bounty hunter after you. A bounty hunter is a civilian who captures fugitives in return for payment. As you know if you have watched the reality series "Dog the Bounty Hunter," these professionals use a range of tactics to catch people who have skipped their court date, and you don't want to be under the boot of a bounty hunter.
If you contact the bondsmen yourself, you don't have to worry about any bounty hunters.
Prepare to fight more charges.
Unfortunately, failure to show up for court often results in extra criminal fines and penalties. To fight the new stack of charges, you may want to hire an attorney. The attorney can help you mount a defense against your original charge, but he or she can also help you avoid extra charges for not showing up for court.
For example, the attorney could argue that you didn't receive notices about your court date, that you were in the hospital or whatever other defenses are relevant for your case.
Find more collateral for another bail bond.
Finally, if you are rearrested, you may be forced to post bail again. If you don't have a large amount of cash in your savings account, you should prepare to work with another bondsman. You typically need to pay a down payment in cash or collateral, and they cover the rest of the bail bond for you.
Have more questions on what to do if you have missed court after a bondsman has posted your bail? Contact a bondsman directly.
Share