Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

i have three charges all different cases.one for switchblade where they offered me ankle monitor but i never did it.another for racifg in my car.and the last for posseion and parafanilia that i was out on bail from and jumped bail.what are my option i have a new job so dnt wannna do any county time or as little as possible


Asked on 12/26/12, 4:00 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Terry A. Nelson Nelson & Lawless

What you want and what you get are three different things in this situation. You have three charges, three Failures to Appear, and three warrants.

You have two options: run and hide the rest of your life, OR handle the situation properly.

To handle any warrant, you must turn yourself in to the issuing court[s], with or without an attorney. On felony charges, the defendant must be personally present at every court hearing and appearance. On misdemeanors and infractions, an attorney can appear in court without the defendant being present � which is safer and avoids immediately being taken into custody. You�ll try to negotiate a recall of the warrant[s] and bail or OR release. You�ll try to negotiate a plea bargain on any �Failure to Appear� charges or probation violations that caused the warrant. You�ll try to negotiate a plea bargain or take to trial the outstanding charges that caused the warrants. Turning yourself in voluntarily will result in a better outcome than being brought in chains to court after arrest on the warrant. That can happen if you come in contact with law enforcement or customs anywhere in the country. Effective plea-bargaining, using whatever legal defenses, facts and sympathies there may be, could possibly keep you out of jail/prison, or at least dramatically reduce it, and may enable you to get your probation and programs reinstated. Unless you're competent to effectively represent yourself in court against a professional prosecutor trying to put you in jail, most people hire an attorney who can. If serious about hiring counsel to help in this, feel free to contact me.

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Answered on 12/27/12, 12:04 am


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