What can happen if I miss my DUI arraignment?

For the most part, an arraignment is a court hearing in which the alleged driver is obligated by law to appear. Arraignments are parts of criminal proceedings where they defendants are officially charged with a crime. In the event the defendant does not attend the arraignment the court will immediately issue a FTA or failure to appear which will result in a bench warrant for the driver’s arrest. The word bench is used because the warrant is issued by a bench judge.

No, the judge is not actually sitting on a bench either but rather sitting on a cushioned chair. And no, this has nothing to do with any judge sitting on the bench and not getting enough playing time on some sports team. So skip those jokes or ideas.

Remember a Bench Warrant is on Public Record

The disadvantages of having a bench warrant against your name are many according to Fairfax City, VA DUI lawyers. You are likely to get arrested during any routine contact with the police. Also remember that as soon as the warrant is issued, it goes into the public record. This means anyone who runs a background check on you will find out about the warrant.

You do not want to get a DUI ticket but if you do, hiring  a Fairfax City, VA DUI lawyer should be on the top of your to do list!

Basically anyone who can access the public records will know about your brush with law. You are also in a particularly tenuous situation when you seek employment or an apartment for rent because your legal history can be easily unearthed by the prospective employer or landlord who can inform the police and cause your arrest.

FTA also means that your previous bail order will be cancelled and a fresh order will be issued with a bigger bail amount. You do not want to skip out on bail either. If you do, you will have people like Ed Moseby and Domino Harvey from the movie Domino hunting you and that could make your life somewhat difficult.

How can I quash the bench warrant?

If you have missed the arraignment date you have to turn yourself in as soon as possible. If you are incapable of doing so due to certain circumstances ask your legal rep to appear on your behalf to squash the warrant. Remember that you must have a local DUI legal pro who is familiar with the jurisdiction and involve a bail bond firm to post your bail as soon as possible.

Why do you need a local legal professional?

Virginia DUI attorneys recommend that you hire a local DUI law specialist which could be them to deal with your case because he/she will be well versed with the laws of the jurisdiction. Secondly, lawyers who fight DUI cases regularly are familiar with court proceedings and the judges and clerks but it is OK to choose a fantastic DUI lawyer who may not be local since the process is similar all around the state.

This means that the legal counselor can arrange to reschedule an alternative arraignment date to recall the warrant. However, getting the warrant squashed can be problematic if you have a string of such warrants against your name.

Whether the warrant will be recalled or not, depends on the judge’s discretion, point out Fairfax City, VA DUI lawyers. The penalties can range from fines to jail time if you do not appear for your arraignment. This is not something you want to miss! Usually judges take such legal steps when the defendant fails to provide appropriate reasons for not appearing at the first DUI arraignment.

You certainly cannot use the excuse that you did not have a DUI legal counselor yet since even judges know about digital technology. This marvelous website DUI-USAttorneys.com enables anyone to find wonderful and appropriate legal help after just a few clicks and some phone calls – perhaps only one phone call!

If you have been charged with a DUI and missed an arraignment you must involve a Virginia DUI lawyer promptly especially if you are charged with a felony offense. Failure to engage a solid DUI lawyer will only deprive yourself of a fair defense and possibly undermine your defense. It will also hurt you in the eyes of the court. This will mean that you will need a DUI lawyer even more than you once did.