Norwalk Failure to Appear Lawyer

 

A Norwalk failure to appear lawyer can work to explain your situation to the court and request leniency. Assistance from a top criminal defense lawyer can help prevent an arrest and enable you to resolve the situation with few or no adverse consequences.

Can a Warrant Be Issued If I Fail to Appear?

When an individual who has been ordered to appear in court does not show up, the court may send a warning letter regarding the failure to appear, or it the judge may issue a bench warrant for that person’s arrest. If the court sends a warning with a new court date and the recipient does not see the new date or ignores the letter, then the court is likely to an arrest warrant. A Norwalk failure to appear attorney can determine whether a warrant has been issued and determine the best way to approach the court to avoid an arrest.

When Can Failure to Appear Be Treated as a Felony?

Failure to appear in the first degree as defined in Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) §53a-172 is classified as a Class D felony. This offense occurs when someone who was charged with a felony and released fails to appear in court when required for that felony offense. An individual also commits first-degree failure to appear if they are on probation for the commission of a felony and do not appear at a hearing related to a probation violation.

When Is a Failure to Show Regarded as a Misdemeanor Offense?

In situations where you are charged with a traffic offense punishable by jail time or a misdemeanor offense, a missed court appearance is treated as failure to appear in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor. This crime is defined in C.G.S. §53a-173 to include situations where an individual misses court after being charged with or convicted of a misdemeanor or traffic offense.

What If I Didn’t Intend to Miss My Court Date?

Failure to appear in both the first and second degrees requires an absence from court to be willful in order for you to be convicted. A failure to appear lawyer in Norwalk can work to gather evidence to show why your missed appearance should be not considered willful by the court.

How Is a Failure to Appear Penalized?

First-degree failure to appear is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine as high as $5,000. Those convicted of failure to appear in the second degree can be imprisoned for up to one year and fined as much as $2,000. Thus, the penalties for failure to appear may be substantially greater than the penalties for the original offense that required the court appearance.

Work with a Norwalk Failure to Appear Attorney

An experienced Norwalk failure to appear lawyer who understands how courts handle absences can present the situation and work to resolve the problem while avoiding negative consequences. To talk to a defense lawyer about your options after missing a court appearance, call Mark Sherman Law today for an initial consultation.

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