I cannot afford to fly from where I live to the court appearance scheduled too soon…
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
I cannot afford to fly from where I live to the court appearance scheduled too soon…
My husband was accused of theft in the second degree and is scheduled to appear to enter his plea (guilty/not guilty) however he is working in California right now and we have no way to come up with the money to bring him here to WA state. I am unemployed and he is barely making enough for us to survive). What can we do to postpone for a few months his appearance?
Asked on June 26, 2009 under Criminal Law, Washington
Answers:
S.J.H., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 14 years ago | Contributor
It is very risky to miss a court date in a criminal manner especially. Your failure to appear at a scheduled court date can result in a warrant for your husband's arrest and a forfeiture of your bail status. This is even true when you have a lawyer but at least a lawyer can persuade a Judge to allow your absence until the next date. Absent having a lawyer, the only thing you can do is write a letter to the Presiding Judge and explain your predicament and ask for a later date. It very often will be granted but you can not immediately assume this. I strongly urge you to either hire an attorney to appear or attempt to make it to the Court date.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.