Legal Question in Criminal Law in Wisconsin

Bond Violation -- "Bail Jumping"

Committing a new crime while a person is released on bail for another charge is a new crime in and of itself (in addition to your son's new shoplifting), which is known as �bail jumping. � It would generally be a class A misdemeanor with a maximum jail exposure of nine months or a $10,000 fine. Bond is likely to be higher on the new offense as well, since he is accused of violating the trust of the court by committing the new offense. If I were you, I would try to focus on the cause of the problem--perhaps a drug-alcohol issue of psychological problem--in order to make sure that it does not happen again and to reassure the judge at sentencing if he is convicted of anything. I cannot really tell from your description if he was truly out on bond or not, however, since you seemed to believe that the original charges were already resolved. After sentencing, bail or bond normally ends although probation or other aspects (such as jail or a fine) of the sentence take over. Bail jumping is a terrible conviction to have on one�s record, since it will mandate a much higher bond or other conditions in any future arrest (due to its proving the person to have been unreliable in the past in following the court�s orders).