If you miss a court date in Oklahoma you could find yourself in real trouble. Missing a court date, especially in a criminal law case, can have serious consequences. The specific consequences can vary depending on the District Court you are in and the circumstances of your case. The key is that you try to get out Infront of your case, but sometimes bad things just happen. If you do miss a court date some potential outcomes may include:
A Bench Warrant Will Be Issued
If you fail to appear in court, the judge may issue a bench warrant for your arrest. This is the case for both felony charges as well as misdemeanor charges. This means that law enforcement can arrest you and bring you to court. If the warrant is based on felony charges you can expect a felony warrant team to show up at your home or other places you are known to be. If you were already out on bond most courts will triple the bond. Still other courts may not issue another bond at all. This is called revoking your bond until the conclusion of your case or a successful bond hearing on your behalf. If on the other hand your case is based on federal charges your pretrial release will be at risk sending you back into custody.
Additional Charges Against You
In Oklahoma, the failure to appear for a criminal hearing is very specific. It does not really matter if you failed to appear at your original arraignment or a criminal law conference docket the consequences can be harsh. In essence the statute says that if you are out on bail and fail to appear in the District Court the defendant (you) suffers a forfeiture of the bond. The court gives you a grace period of 30 days to turn yourself in. If you fail to turn yourself in you can face felony charges with up to 2 years in prison and a fine. The additional charges may result in either a deferred sentence or a suspended sentence.
Forfeiture Of Your Collateral
If you or someone else signed your bond the collateral can be lost. Within a short period of your failure to appear the bonding company is forced to pay the cash bond you paid for. This is their guarantee to the court that you will appear. Its a little like an insurance policy based on you appearing at court. Once they pay the cash the collateral is usually gone and probably lost forever.
Tulsa Criminal Lawyers Near You
If you are facing a warrant for a felony or misdemeanor charge we can help. Moreover, if you are facing a bench warrant for failure to appear its critical that you get help. An attorney from Tulsa Criminal Lawyers Law Firm will give you a legal edge and help you to come out from the darkness of criminal charges. For a free criminal defense consultation with one of our lawyers call us at 918-416-0358 or you can follow this link to ask a free criminal defense legal question.