What to do if I have 40 hours of community service still to complete and my court date is coming up?
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What to do if I have 40 hours of community service still to complete and my court date is coming up?
I’m not on probation; it’s for the first offenders program. I started a full-time job after it had happened, had trouble finding somewhere to do it, since most all the places I went to or called said it had to be through a probation officer to do it there. I found somewhere to do it but I’ve been waiting over a month on the paperwork to go through. How likely would it be that the judge would grant me an extension in time to complete it?
Asked on October 29, 2013 under Criminal Law, North Carolina
Answers:
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 10 years ago | Contributor
It is not possible to predict whether or not the judge will grant you an extension of time to complete the community service.
All you can do is explain to the judge why you were unable to complete the forty hours of community service. Emphasize that you made a good faith attempt to comply, but due to circumstances beyond your control (difficulty in finding a place which did not require you to go through a probation officer and the paperwork delay after you found a place that allowed you to perform the community service) you haven't yet completed the community service. Ask for an extension of time to complete the community service. The judge's initial reaction that you did not complete the community service will be unfavorable, but given the extenuating circumstances, the judge might grant you the extension of time.
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