After you’ve been charged with a crime in Greeley, Colorado, the judge expects you to attend all future court dates. If you Fail to Appear, FTA, judges get concerned that you might have missed the court date on purpose, or because you don’t care. So, if you accidently have a Failure to Appear and miss a court date, or really could not come, you need to contact them ASAP. The worst thing you can do is go silent and let a bunch of time pass by. If you can’t reach the court clerk by phone, come to the courthouse the next day. Don’t wait . . . or everyone assumes the worst about you.
What Are 5 Good Reasons for Missing Your Weld County Court Date?
After 30 years, we’ve seen a lot of good reasons and a lot of bad reasons Weld County Court dates are missed by nice people like you. Remember that most judges will check up on your reason, so don’t lie to them. The best reasons include these: 1) You were in the hospital and can prove it. 2) You were in a verifiable car accident. 3) You had another court appearance in another county at the exact same time. 4) You were stuck in jail and none of the deputies would bring you to court. 5) You were prevented from traveling because of severe weather and transportations systems were closed. Each of these reasons are helpful if you fail to appear or FTA for your court date.
What are 5 Bad Reasons for Missing Your Greeley, Colorado Court Hearing?
Bad reasons for missing your Greeley court hearing are easy to find, but some just keep coming up again and again. Here are some of the worst: 1) I forgot my court date or wrote down the wrong one (and I did not show up on the date I thought it was scheduled). 2) I got arrested again, and was stuck in another jail. 3) My car ran out of gas or broke down. 4) I had to watch my children and did not have a babysitter. 5) I overslept. Each of these will CONVINCE the judge that you are irresponsible and really should not be out of the Weld County Jail on bond.
Will I be Arrested if I Show up at the Greeley Court After a Missed Hearing?
Most Greeley judges will not arrest you IF you fix the problem ASAP. If you wait, and ignore the situation after your Failure to Appear, you increase the odds of being arrested. If you come to court voluntarily, you decrease the chance of being arrested. If you get a warrant and ignore it, and get arrested by the Greeley Police, you are stuck and will go to jail until you post a bond. The Weld County Jail is usually pretty full, so judges want to give you a break if you show some responsibility and admit your mistake – just do it promptly.
Is Your Bond Automatically Forfeited for FTA and Missing a Hearing in Weld County Court?
No, if you come in promptly, your chances of getting your FTA (Failure to Appear) warrant vacated and your bond reinstated, are pretty good. The longer you wait past your missed court appearance, the more likely your bond will be forfeited and you will lose your bond money. If you wait months or years to come in, you will very likely lose your bond money, since that much time says you just don’t care.
What do Judges Think About Missed Court in Greeley?
Most Greeley judges want to see you succeed, and will give you a second chance if you come in quickly to fix the problem. Only if they feel there is strong evidence of your guilt for a serious crime, or after you commit another crime, do they feel a bias to keep you in jail. They value their career, and don’t want to let a serious or repeat offender back on the streets where they might run away or reoffend. They worry about the publicity if they give a serious offender a second chance on bond. With that in mind, even for a serious offender, judges don’t want to be seen as overly picky and unfair to people with serious crimes, if they have a good reason and reappear in court quickly after an Failure to Appear.
If you’ve failed to appear, FTA, in a Weld County court case, give our defense attorneys a call at 970-616-6009. Most judges believe someone who hires a defense lawyer is serious about fighting their case and will not risk missing court again. Together, we can protect your future.
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