Arkansas Failure to Appear- Punishment
Posted on November 13th, 2007 by Administrator
In Arkansas, the crime of Failure to Appear (”FTA”) involves an accused person being told to go to court and then that accused person not showing up on their court date. See Generally A.C.A. 5-54-120.
The level of punishment for FTA in Arkansas varies depending on the seriousness of the crime you were originally charged with:
- Felonies- Generally, if you fail to appear for a felony charge, the FTA charge is a C felony.
- Misdemeanors- Generally, if you fail to appear for a misdemeanor, the FTA charge is an A misdemeanor.
- Violations- Generally, if you fail to appear for a violation, the FTA charge is another violation.
In addition to being an additional charge for missing court, you may also have your driver’s license suspended. Please see my other post here on that topic.
I posted bond last night $500.00 ($120.00) throught a bondsman. My original charge was public intoxication, however, I have been charged for failure to appear on the original charge of public intoxication. Should I get an attorney? What is the typical punishment for this charge? I have no other FTA’s or criminal charges in the past. Thank-you.
Dear poster,
I would always advise speaking to any attorney in any criminal matter. Many times a criminal defense attorney can negotiate the charges you plead to and the fines and cost you end up having to pay.