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What are the consequences of skipping bail?

On Behalf of | Jun 13, 2022 | Criminal Defense |

If you are charged with an offense but qualify for bail, you will be required to attend court for a hearing or trial at some later date.

But what happens if you fail to honor your commitment to the court? Basically, several things will happen if you unlawfully miss your court appearance. Here are some of them.

You will lose your bail money

If the court allows you to deposit bail in your case, it will require you to follow certain rules, including honoring court dates. If you paid the bail yourself, you risk losing every penny if you fail to appear in court. If you had a co-signer for your bail, the co-signer will lose their money. And if you hired a bail bond agent, you will owe them money following your refusal to appear in court.

An arrest warrant will be issued

You can expect the police (and your bail bondsman, if you have one) to come after you. Upon re-arrest, you will be locked up in jail while you are on trial. Additionally, you might face further charges for failure to show up in court.

It will taint your record for the future

A missed court hearing will appear on your record. If you ever have another run-in with the law and the judge in your case learns that you have a history of skipping court, they may deny you bail entirely or set a higher bond amount. 

It can be scary to face a criminal trial, but you don’t have to do it alone. Don’t make a rash decision that could negatively affect your future.