If a defendant does not show up for court for a mandatory court appearance in their case (such as an arraignment, pre-trial conference, case management, docket sounding, or trial date) the judge will almost indefinitely issue a bench warrant for failure to appear (FTA). This means that there will be a warrant issued for their arrest.
Can I bond out on the failure to appear warrant?
The judge may set a bond amount on the warrant. If a bond is set, the defendant will be able to turn in on the warrant and bond out (assuming they can afford the bond). The amount of the bond will vary depending on a number of things: the preference of the particular judge, the seriousness of the case, and whether the case is a felony or a misdemeanor. There may be situations (such as a defendant who has FTA's in their past, or a defendant who misses a docket sounding or trial date) where a judge may order a FTA warrant with a $0 bond. If this is the case, the person will not be able to bond out on the warrant as there is essentially no bond.
Can a judge dismiss a FTA warrant?
There may be situations where a defendant misses a court date for a legitimate reason beyond their control that, if brought to the judge's attention, may result in the judge excusing the FTA and dismissing the warrant.
Contact Soler & Simon for a free case evaluation
If you have received a warrant for failing to appear for a court date, contact out law firm immediately. If you have missed a court date for a reason beyond your control we may be able to have it dismissed. If not, we may be able to set up a time for you to do a "walk through" on the warrant. What this means is that we can schedule a time for a bonds person to meet with you and in essence "walk you through" the jail, so as you are out of the jail as soon as possible
Also, if you have been charged with a misdemeanor, we will likely be able to waive your appearance at arraignment and pre-trial conference court dates--this means that you will not have to go.
Please call (941) 444-5128 to speak with a criminal defense attorney for a free consultation. Our criminal lawyers can help you if you have missed a court date and are dealing with a warrant or would like help defending your criminal court case. Please visit our homepage for information about our lawyers and how they can assist you in your defense.