If you are indicted and charged with certain crimes, like drunk driving or burglary, the court may release you on bail. In exchange, you will be required to post a bond and show up in court whenever you are required to do so.
It is incredibly important that you take your court dates seriously. Because if you do not, you might have serious legal and personal consequences to contend with. In fact, there is a good chance your legal problems will be compounded. Subject to the circumstances of your case, you may face the following consequences if you missed your court date in Georgia:
Your bail may be revoked
The judge will most likely revoke your bail and issue a bench warrant against you. This means that the police will come after you. It also means that you are likely to spend the rest of your trial period in jail.
You may face additional charges
The court doesn’t appreciate it when you waste its time. Depending on your case, the judge might find you in contempt – and this too has consequences like jail time or additional fines.
You might have a difficult time getting bail in the future
Once you are apprehended and sent to prison, you may as well forget about being released on bail this time. But this will not be the end of your woes. Should you get in trouble with the law again, you will have a difficult time convincing the court that you deserve to be released on bail. Keep in mind that your previous failure to appear will be on your record.
Whether your reasons for jumping bail are justified or not, you need to understand that doing so is a big problem as far as the court is concerned. Learning more about Georgia criminal defense laws can help you protect your rights and interests if you miss court.
