The first DUI Court date for a Vista Court case is the arraignment and is usually scheduled about 30 days after the arrest for a misdemeanor and about 7 days after arrest for a felony. However, if you remain in custody you will have that first date within 3 court days. The DUI Court date is on the bail or bond release paperwork if arrested or on a citation if not arrested. Most people are arrested and post the $2500 bail for a misdemeanor. Bail is significantly more for a felony.
The purpose of the first Court date or arraignment is to formally advise you of the charges whcich have been filed. The District Attorney (D.A.) reviews the reports, types up and formally files the charges with the Court. The D.A. could add charges or delete charges or even reject the case based on the information available to them which may or may not have been available to the officer in the field. Reports are not available to the Defense Attorneys until after they appear and state they are the attorney of record in Court. Regardless whether you believe you are guilty, a “not guilty” is usually always entered and the case continued for a pretrial or readiness conference where plea bargains are discussed. Those dates can be further continued if additional information is required by either side or further negotiations are necessary. Sometimes additional court dates are required for legal motions like search and seizure issues or checkpoint issues.
Ultimately, if the case cannot be resolved, the trial date is confirmed and if not resolved, a jury decides the facts. These Court dates are in addition to any DMV hearing dates which would be set. Contact Nicholas or William Christoph at Christoph Law Offices by calling 760-941-5720 for a free initial consultation and evaluation of your case. We have handled exclusively DUI and Criminal cases for over 32 years across from Vista Courts and provide the highest level of professional and personal representation.