Help, I Missed My Court Date In Memphis,TN
Help!… I missed my 201 Poplar court date / Shelby County Juvenile Court date in Memphis, Tennessee? If you have found yourself saying this, you definitely have a situation on your hands that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible and running away is only going to make it worse.
If you have a pending criminal case and you have a bond posted with a bail bondsman or have been released on your own recognizance, (ROR-Release On Recognizance) you have promised the court that you will abide by the court’s directives and conditions.
One of these conditions is to appear for all of your court proceedings at the date and time the court has given to you. Missing your court date means you have violated a court condition and the judge can issue a warrant for your arrest.
Speed and taking action are your greatest ally right now. The quicker you get your warrant resolved, the better you look in the eyes of the court.
Here are the 2 most important things to do when you have missed your court date.
1. Contact your attorney and tell them that you have missed your court date.
An attorney can often make arrangements to get the warrant recalled without you having to go back to jail. Be prepared to go back to court with your attorney in order to get the warrant recalled and be issued a new court date.
2. Contact your bail bondsman IMMEDIATELY if you have missed court and are out on a bail bond.
If you do not contact your bondman immediately, he/she may feel compelled to give your file to a fugitive recovery agent (a.k.a. bounty hunter) and they will find you and arrest you….obviously this is not the way you want to be taken in before a judge.
Here are just some of the consequences that can happen as a result of missing your court date and not getting a warrant taken care of:
- You will have to keep running…the court, the police, your bondsman, and attorney will all be wondering what happen to you and eventually someone is going to catch up with you. You may be prevented from getting a job when an employer runs a background check.
- You have made yourself look bad in the eyes of the court because you did not resolve your situation in a timely fashion.
- Both you and the people who co-signed your bail bond can be sued if the bonding agency has to pay your bail bond off to the courts.
- The clock is ticking because your Tennessee bondsman has 6 months to find you, have you arrested and get you put back in jail before they have to pay the court the full amount of the bond that was set by the judge or magistrate when you were released.
It is better to be safe than sorry and highly recommended that you stay in close contact with your attorney and bail bondsman regarding your appointed court date and time. If you are wondering, “how do i find out my court date”, just give them a call and they will be able to do a court date lookup and tell you.
You may be wondering, “can I reschedule my court date over the phone?” In certain instances, an attorney might be able to reschedule your court date without you being there. However, in most instances, you will have to be physically present before the judge on your court date or a warrant will be issued for your arrest.
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