Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

I didn't appear in court fort a drinking in public citation in O.C. Now I have a warrant for my arrest. How can I get a public defender to help me before I attempt to go to court. I heard I would be arrested on the spot when I appear in court

Asked on 3/18/13, 2:33 am

3 Answers from Attorneys

Kelvin Green The Law Office of Kelvin Green

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You are probably not going to get a PD before you appear on this case. The court will appoint PD when you appear assuming you qualify for a PD.

Call the court. If it has an assigned bail amount, you can post that to guarantee appearance...

Answered on 3/18/13, 6:38 am

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Joe Dane Law Office of Joe Dane

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They cannot and will not appoint a public defender before you appear in court. You'll have to make that request at the time you are arraigned.

Yes, there's a chance they could take you in, but assuming the rest of your record isn't horrible, you don't have a long history of not showing up, it hasn't been too long and the fact that you voluntarily appear instead of waiting to be arrested leans toward not being taken in.

The other option is to hire an attorney to appear for you and get the warrant recalled.

Answered on 3/18/13, 8:10 am

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