Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Not necessarily. You may never receive anything in the mail from the DA or the cops. When you got arrested and released, were you given a date, time and place to appear in Court? If so, then you should definitely be there. If you're planning to hire a lawyer to represent you, do it immediately, not after that court appearance. If you will be asking for the services of the public defender, then you must wait until you are in court to ask for that. You can also call the DA's office and ask if any charges are filed against you. But if the answer is no, that really means "not yet," and the charges can be filed at any time up to the date and time of your court appearance. Best of luck. Steve Mandell