Russian Immigrant’s Failure to Appear in Court Results in Bench Warrant for Her Arrest for Driving with a Suspended License
Bench Warrant Set aside and No Conviction!The Charges
Police issued our Client a traffic citation in 2006 for Driving While License Suspended or Revoked. She failed to get the matter resolved before moving to Colorado. The Defendant’s failure to appear in court resulted in a bench warrant being issued for her arrest.
Driving While License is Suspended or Revoked in Florida
Under the Florida Statutes, it is illegal to drive while a driver’s license is suspended or revoked. For a first time offense, the penalty is up to 60 days in jail and a fine of $500.
Anyone caught driving with a suspended license for a second offense will be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor. Up to a year in jail will be sentenced. A third offense could be a felony charge with up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $5,000.
If the three offenses happened within a period of 5 years, the person will be labeled as a habitual traffic offender. Habitual traffic offenders, or HTO, will receive a 5-year license suspension, and the person will have to wait at least one full year before they can apply for a hardship license.
There are many reasons as to why a person may have their driver’s license suspended. These do not all deal with how a person is driving. It could be suspended for any of the following reasons:
- Behind in child support payments or failure to pay
- DUI refusal
- Petit theft
- DUI arrest
- Drug convictions
- Failure to pay court fines or restitution
- Failure to appear in court
- Habitual traffic offender
Musca Law Firm
If you have been arrested for driving with a suspended license, our law firm wants to assist you. Musca Law Firm serves all of Florida and has convenient night and weekend hours for your convenience. We offer a free, no-obligation initial case consultation to see if we are the right fit for you. We are confident our lawyers will be able to serve you, as we have well over 150 years of combined legal experience among our team of attorneys. Our attorneys will develop a strong and strategic defense that will either reduce your charges significantly or have them completely dropped. We work hard to avoid having our clients spend any time in jail. Our number one goal is to find a solution that is favorable to you!
Please call us today 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (888) 484-5057 to set up your initial case consultation with one of our highly-qualified attorneys. We have offices located in various Florida cities for your convenience, such as Tampa, Orlando, New Port Richey, Fort Myers, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and many others. We look forward to speaking with you soon!
RESULT: Our Musca Law Defense Attorney entered a Plea in Absentia which allowed us to resolve the Defendant’s case so that she would not have to return to Florida. After motioning the court, the bench warrant was set aside and we were able to negotiate a successful resolution to her case, including NO FORMAL FINDING OF GUILT.