Chesterfield Failure to Appear Lawyer
Failure to appear for a required criminal court case in Virginia can and will almost always result in the issuance of a warrant for your arrest and a new charge issued for the crime of failure to appear, in addition to the crime for which you were originally charged. For this reason, if you have missed a court date it’s important that you contact a Chesterfield failure to appear lawyer as soon as possible.
Failing to Appear For a Court Date
If you have been charged with failure to appear in Chesterfield
or anywhere in Virginia, an experienced Chesterfield failure to appear lawyer can help. The problem is solvable, but it will not go away. Any motor vehicle stop or other encounter with law enforcement may result in a computer check and the discovery that there is a warrant outstanding for your arrest. We can help you before that happens.
There are many offenses in Virginia, including motor vehicle offenses that rise to the level of misdemeanor. Although considered less serious than crimes classified as felonies, misdemeanors are crimes nevertheless, and failure to appear in court to address them – at any state of the proceedings – will result in additional legal complications.
In order to convict you of failure to appear, the prosecution must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a person:
- Was charged with a felony or misdemeanor offense; or
- Was convicted of a felony or misdemeanor offense and was awaiting sentencing; and
- Willfully failed to appear before the court
Virginia Penalties for Failure to Appear
If the underlying charge is a felony, you will be charged with a class 6 felony.
If the underlying charge is a misdemeanor, you will be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor.
A class 1 misdemeanor is punishable by up to 12 months in jail and/or up to a $2,500 fine.
A class 6 felony is punishable by one to five years in prison and up to a $2,500 fine.
If you have outstanding criminal charges in Virginia for which you have failed to appear, it will only make matter worse to ignore them. Retain the services of a Chesterfield failure to appear lawyer as an arrest on a bench warrant means being brought before the court involuntarily, therefore hurting your ability to negotiate and mitigate the penalties you face.
Contact a Chesterfield County Failure to Appear Lawyer
Missing a court date for any reason can have a dire impact on your legal situation. Accordingly, it’s important that you have the legal representation of a Chesterfield failure to appear lawyer so as not to increase the penalties you face. A Chesterfield failure to appear lawyer will be able to sort out why you failed to appear and help minimize the harm of a warrant.
Don’t wait for a failure to appear charge to catch up to you, call a failure to appear lawyer in Chesterfield today to help your cause.
