Was I supposed to show up in court even though no charges were filed?

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Was I supposed to show up in court even though no charges were filed?

I was arrested for public intoxicationand signed a promise to appear. I called the district attorneys office two days before my scheduled court appearance and they said no charges were being filed. I called again the day before to double verify. They once again said that no charges were being filed. So, I didn’t go to court because why go to court if no charges were being filed? No one in the D.A.’s office told me that I still needed to go to court. However, I signed a promise to appear. So, was I still supposed to show up in court as I promised?

Asked on March 1, 2012 under Criminal Law, California

Answers:

Kevin Bessant / Law Office of Kevin Bessant & Associates

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

First, you want to check with an attorney in your local area to be certain that your promise to appear does not constitute a mandatory appearance in court on your part. Typically, if the prosecutor or D.A. has stated that they are not going to file any charges, then there will never be any type of criminal complaint to answer to. Please check with a attorney in your area to be sure that there is no need to appear so that there is no possiblity for a warrant to be issued against you.

 


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