Will I have to do jail time for a failure to appear?

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Will I have to do jail time for a failure to appear?

I was arrested 10 years ago for driving under suspension. I missed my court date and an arrest warrant was issued. What will happen? I ldon’t want to lose my job; I need to clear this up.

Asked on June 18, 2012 under Criminal Law, Rhode Island

Answers:

Kevin Bessant / Law Office of Kevin Bessant & Associates

Answered 11 years ago | Contributor

An arrest warrant (usually a bench warrant for traffic matters) means that you can technically be arrested at anytime and anywhere. Given the age of the case, I would go the court where the warrant was issued and attempt to either get a new court date to appear or see if you can be arraigned on the warrant and given a new court date. You should not lose your job, but if you get arrested the police can hold you in custody for a few days before you see a judge.


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