The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on various industries—some more than others. Over the past few months, many courts in Texas has been forced to temporarily shut down and suspend services, including bail hearings in Tarrant County.
As a result of this, most personal appearance court actions have been either canceled or limited for the time being.
What happens if you missed your court date due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how can it affect your case? Here’s what you need to know about missing a scheduled court date and the next steps you should take to ensure you are still eligible for a bail bond in Fort Worth.
What Happens if You Miss Your Court Date?
Typically, when you are granted bail in Tarrant County, you are still required to attend all court hearings related to your case, such as such as arraignments, hearings, trials, and sentencing, unless otherwise instructed by your lawyer or the court.
If, for whatever reason, you do not appear for your court date, the judge could issue a bench warrant for your arrest and charge you with jumping bail or “failure to appear.”
However, there are situations where missing a scheduled court date is acceptable. Serious circumstances such as car accidents, being in the hospital, or situations beyond your control are all considered reasonable excuses.
And if there was ever a situation beyond your control, it would be the global COVID-19 pandemic. While missing your court date due to the court closures may not be your fault, there are steps you should take to be proactive and get your date rescheduled.
Follow These Steps Now!
Contact Your Lawyer
The first step you need to take when it comes to securing your bail bond in Fort Worth is to contact your lawyer.
Your lawyer will ensure that a bench warrant is not issued and work with you to reschedule your court date—even if it’s tentative. It’s important to reschedule your court date right away, because it will show that you have taken proactive steps to get your court date changed and intend to show up on your new date.
Contact Your Bail Bondsman
After you have contacted your lawyer, you should contact your bail bondsman. If your bail bonds company has reason to believe that you jumped bail, they could send a bounty hunter out to pick you up and take you to jail.
Avoid any misunderstandings and jeopardizing your bail in Tarrant County and inform your bail bondsman right away that you are handling the situation and have taken the appropriate steps to reschedule your court date.
Show up for the Next Date
The final, and arguably most important, step is to show up for your new court date.
Although missing your court date due to the COVID-19 pandemic is beyond your control, if you miss your new date for any reason within your control, the judge could deem you a flight risk and either revoke your bail bond in Fort Worth or increase the bail amount.
Contact PCS Bail Bonds for Affordable Bail Bonds in Tarrant County
Just because we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it doesn’t mean we are immune to the law. Whatever the reason may be, if you find yourself in jail and need the help of a bail bondsman, PCS Bail Bonds can help.
At PCS Bail Bonds, we offer a variety of bail bonds in Fort Worth and Tarrant County to you get your life back to normal. We also help our clients manage the amounts set by the courts by offering fixed rates. We strive to do more than offer bail—we also pride ourselves on creating a better community.
We are available 24/7 to start the bail process. People don’t get arrested conveniently, so having 24-hour access to our bail services is key to a quick bail. For affordable bail in Tarrant County, contact us now by phone at 817-335-1655, at our email, visit in-person, or fill out our bail bond request form.