Life gets busy and going to court can sound overwhelming. Sometimes, people forget about their court date or simply decide it’s not worth it to go. It may only be a small traffic ticket, but if you do not appear there could be more repercussions awaiting you.
A bench warrant may be issued
If you don’t show up to court, the judge can issue a bench warrant. This allows law enforcement to arrest you by going to your home or business. They may actively seek you out or they may arrest you at your next interaction, like a traffic stop. If you are arrested, you may be held until your next hearing.
There may be bail changes
You may find that you have new bail charges after you did not appear in court. If you already posted bail, you may now lose it. And finally, your bail that comes from future related charges could be increased.
You could end up with more charges
In Colorado, failure to appear is contempt of court, which is essentially interfering with a court’s ability to do their job. You may have a civil or criminal contempt charge, depending on if your actions are determined to be offending or disrespectful of the court’s authority.
If you don’t show up for court, there are certain reasons that can get you excused. This can include if you did not receive a notification of the hearing or unforeseeable events occurred, like a medical emergency.
Most of the time, not showing up for court will only hurt your case. If you do, be diligent in your following legal proceedings.