Legal Question in Criminal Law in Washington

How long does it take to get a court date?

About 2 weeks my friend was caught shoplifting. It was a really bad lack of judgement and the cops where really nice and forgiving but the stores policy was to prosecute everyone. The cops said that they would recieve a court date in the mail. When do you think it will come or she want to know if it is posible that the cops droped the case. Another issue is that shes been applying for jobs and doesnt know if she has to answer yes to the questioin about criminal ativity. The cop said that at the most she would get a minor misdemeanor. What does that mean?


Asked on 4/24/09, 5:38 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
James J. White, attorney Law Offices of Smith & White, PLLC

Re: How long does it take to get a court date?

Your friend should be seeking these answers herself. The case will be file more than 99% of the time. It can take from a few weeks to a few years but is usually in the time frame of a couple of months. She does not need to answer yes to anything on the quesitonaire related to this incident as nothing has been proven against her yet. A misdemeanor is less than a felony and, in this case, has a maximum sentence of 365 days in jail and a $5000 fine. If she has no criminal history and a decent lawyer she will not get jail, will get a nominal fine ( a few hundred) and should be able to keep this off her record.

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Answered on 4/26/09, 12:59 pm


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