Maryland DUI Court Date

When someone is arrested and charged with a DUI, they will have a court date set. In Maryland, all criminal court dates should be available online. There is a case search website for the Maryland court system. An individual should be able to go to that website, put in their name or their case number, and pull up their case information, including the next court date. Also, a person can call the clerk’s office for the county in which they were charged, and they can ask the clerk about their court date. Alternatively, the person can contact their attorney to learn about their upcoming Maryland DUI court date.

Call today for more information about your court date and how an accomplished DUI attorney could be of assistance.

How Can a Person Change Their Court Date?

It is possible for someone to change their Maryland DUI court date if there is a conflict. If it is the first court date and the person has previously scheduled an important obligation that conflicts with their court date, they are generally able to change it. For a court date to be changed, there has to be a good reason. This could include travel reasons, medical appointments, or a serious personal family commitment. When the defendant is from out of the state, it may be possible to reschedule the court date to make it easier for the individual. If a person wants to change their court date, it is crucial for them to reach out to the court as soon as possible. If the person requests the night before or a day or two before the court date, the judge is less likely to allow the case to be rescheduled in most circumstances.

Appearing in Court Following a DUI

The defendant needs to appear in court even if they have a lawyer because the defendant is charged with a crime, not the lawyer. The attorney represents the person’s interests, but the person still has to be there because they are the accused and they are the subject of the case. Every once in a while, in certain types of hearings, the lawyer may be able to get the defendant’s presence waived, especially if the parties know that the case is going to be postponed or the court is only going to deal with some administrative function and it is not going to be a substantive hearing.

Sometimes, the person’s lawyer can get approval ahead of time from the prosecution or from the judge, and the person may not have to show up. However, that is something that needs to be clearly addressed prior to the court date and confirmed via a person’s lawyer. Otherwise, they are at risk of getting a bench warrant if they miss the court date. Call a seasoned attorney for more information about Maryland DUI court dates.

Consequences of Not Appearing in Court

If someone does not show up to court, they are likely going to get a bench warrant. This is a warrant for their arrest, which is an order from the court to law enforcement to arrest the person. It is called a bench warrant because it is issued by the judge from the bench. This means law enforcement can come to a person’s house, place of work, or anywhere else the person is likely to frequent within the State of Maryland, and take them to jail. Sometimes, Maryland will enlist the cooperation of law enforcement from another jurisdiction to arrest someone on a bench warrant if that person is located outside of Maryland.

Call a dedicated lawyer about your Maryland DUI court date today.