Legal Question in Juvenile Dependency in California

i was suspended from school on 11.29.10- 12.06-10, and during my suspension, i went out to have lunch and an officer stopped me and bring me back to school. He found ciggarettes on me. He gave me a ticket and ask me to go to court on January 29th. my questions is, Will i get a mail from the court? Can i bring in someone who's over 21 but not my parents to go to the court with me? What will happen if i dont go to the court? Will any punishments affect me in the future? What if the officer didnt show up on the court, am i dissmiss right away?


Asked on 1/06/11, 8:11 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Scott Brear Law Practice of Scott Irvin Brear

The ticket should have given you the appearance requirement in writing. I would not wait for another writing to come via mail if what he gave you showed the appearance date and time and place. You can bring someone to court, but for what purpose? If your parents are REQUIRED to attend then they should attend. If you do not go to court, you can be charged with "failure to appear". In this case that is probably an infraction, but it will mean a fine and perhaps stronger penalties for you for having the cigarettes. If the officer does not show up, you could probably have the case dismissed. You are entitled to have a witness present in court to offer testimony against you. Failure to have an in-court witness to testify against you would presumably leave the court with no other option but to dismiss the case. Good luck.....and stop smoking when you are young enough to do so!

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Answered on 1/13/11, 3:05 pm


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