Stamford DUI Arraignments

Stamford DUI arraignments are the first step in the trial process and an opportunity for you to establish a solid case for yourself. Your skilled DUI defense attorney can speak on your behalf. They can negotiate with the prosecutor, and present your case to the judge, in an effort to achieve a positive outcome for you.

What Happens Between a Person’s DUI Arrest and Their Arraignment?

Stamford DUI arraignments are when people are brought to court to face the charges against them. If an individual does not make bond when being arrested, they will be brought to court to be arraigned and for the bond to be argued. Otherwise, it is usually the first court date for the offense.

The time between the DUI arrest and arraignment is a very important time for the individual to hire an attorney and have them go over all the facts of the case with them. Upon DUI arrest, the individual’s driver’s license is going to be suspended for 24 hours because the police will hold on to. The individual will get their driver’s license back.

This is the time for an individual to get their car from the police impound if it was impounded, and then show up for the arraignment to start the court case.

What Happens at An Arraignment?

At the arraignment, an individual is formally told what the charges are there against them, which they already know as DUI-based on the paperwork the police gave them. If they were not able to post the bond at the police station, their attorney will argue to the judge at this time why their bond should be lowered. At the arraignment, the individual will also receive an official copy of all the reports in this case and a new court date in order to investigate the charges.

Necessity of Appearing at An Arraignment

Individuals need to appear at their Stamford DUI arraignments, and every other court date after that, because the judge will issue a warrant for their re-arrest if they do not appear, and that will be an additional charge against them. They will have to go through the booking process with the police again and have an additional charge on top of their DUI. It is very important to appear for every court date, including the arraignment.

How Judges Determine Bail Amount

The amount of bail that the judge decides on depends on how many DUIs an individual had in the past, what their criminal arrest record looks like, and things of that nature. Bail can be set anywhere from $250 all the way up to in the tens of thousands of dollars, depending on how the serious case is, if there are injuries involved, or if it is an individual’s first time being in the courthouse

If a person does not appear at their Stamford DUI arraignment, the judge assumes that the individual is running and they become a fugitive. Therefore, if the individual is not at the court proceedings, the judge will issue a warrant for their arrest.

Value of an Attorney

People should be aware that Stamford DUI arraignments are very important. They set the tone for the rest of an individual’s case. It is important to have an experienced DUI attorney at the arraignment and on your side.

Things move fast, there are a lot of cases going on, and things can slip by. The judge can order things that you are not expecting. An experienced attorney will make sure there are no surprises and if there are, that they are handled appropriately.