What if I miss the court date for dui in Malibu?

What if I miss the court date for DUI in Malibu?

Question: What if I miss the court date for DUI in Malibu?  Do they take me to jail right away?  Does my case get worse?  Is it possible that my case can get better if I don’t show up and they will just forget about it all together?

Answer:  If you or your privately retained attorney fails to show up in court at the arraignment (which is the first court date) it is likely that the Judge will issue a bench warrant for your arrest.

Did you in fact miss your court date?  Or are you just inquiring on what would happen if you did in fact miss it?  If you did miss your court date, it is advisable to set a new court date to recall the bench warrant. Regardless of the potential bench warrant issue, it is a good idea to hire a DUI attorney to handle your case anyway.

If you decide to go that route, I would recommend doing so sooner as opposed to later, then having that attorney handle recalling the bench warrant (if one is issued) and try to mitigate the potential consequences, and potentially get the DUI charges dismissed.  Generally speaking, the Court is not going to throw out the case at a later date just because you missed your court date.  And if you get picked up on a bench warrant, it can cause some serious inconveniences, to say the least.  For example, if you are pulled over driving on a friday night even for a minor infraction, the officer can take you into custody and impound your car.  Then you would have to stay in jail all weekend (or post bail) until your arraignment date (which would probably be reset for that following Monday).  Better off dealing with the issue then waiting to get caught to deal with it.

Feel free to contact me at 818-336-1384. I have a couple cases in Malibu Court right now, and can recall the case and get the ball rolling on Tuesday.

DUI & Criminal Defense Attorney
www.philhachelaw.com
Handling DUI and Criminal matters throughout Courts in Southern California including Van Nuys, San Fernando, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Metro, Bellflower, Alhambra, Malibu, Compton, Inglewood and other Courts.
Office in Sherman Oaks