What Happens If You Fail to Appear in Court After Getting Drug Charges?

Getting arrested on suspicion of drug crimes is an unpleasant experience even when it does not lead to incarceration, and most people who have experienced a drug-related arrest are eager to put the experience behind them as quickly as possible.  If the police release you after arresting you or detaining you, it is not the end of the story, even though it could mean that your case could resolve without you receiving criminal charges.  The worst thing you can do is ignore your drug case, because doing this can only make it worse.  You could get additional criminal charges for failure to appear in court, and if you are out on bail while your case is pending, the court can revoke your bail.  The good news is that it is possible to reschedule a court date if you cannot attend, and no matter the date, you do not have to face your criminal charges alone.  You can get through your court date successfully, and reschedule it if necessary, with the help of a Florida drug offenses attorney.

Criminal Penalties to Failure to Appear

Failure to appear in criminal court when ordered to do so is a criminal offense.  It applies to any court-ordered appearance, such as an arraignment, bail hearing, or trial, among other types of court dates.  If the original charge was for a criminal misdemeanor, then the failure to appear charge will also be a misdemeanor, which means that you will face charges for two misdemeanors instead of one.  If the original drug charges were a felony, then the failure to appear charge is also a felony.  In Florida, the maximum penalty you can get for a felony conviction for failure to appear is five years in prison.  If you get convicted for the original case and get prison time, the judge can order you to serve the two sentences concurrently, meaning at the same time, or consecutively, meaning one after the other.

Legally Valid Reasons for Not Appearing in Court

You are not guilty of failure to appear if you know ahead of time that you cannot attend your scheduled court appearance, so you contact the court by yourself or through your lawyer to reschedule it.  You have the right to reschedule a court appearance if you are hospitalized because of an illness or injury or if an immediate family member of yours is in the hospital.  You can also reschedule your court date if an immediate family member of yours has died and the court date conflicts with the family member’s funeral.  You can also reschedule your court date if you cannot attend because you are incarcerated in another jurisdiction at the time of your scheduled court date.

Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Drug Cases

A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you must attend a court date arising from a drug-related arrest.  Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=Section+901.31&URL=0900-0999/0901/Sections/0901.31.html