While missing a traffic court date is extremely common – it’s not something that you should take lightly. When you don’t show up to an appointment at Alpharetta Municipal Court, the court will charge you with failure to appear (FTA). This often results in a bench warrant issued for your arrest, followed by the suspension of your license with the Department of Driver’s Services (DDS).
Most judges understand that a failure to appear is often a mistake. And usually, your attorney can go to the judge and explain the error to have the warrant withdrawn – if you act quickly.
But numerous drivers across the country are unaware that they have missed a court date for a criminal or traffic citation. And many of them are also blissfully oblivious to the unpleasant process that is underway as a consequence.
Another frequent and unpleasant consequence of an FTA traffic ticket in Alpharetta Municipal Court happens when the driver doesn’t realize the license has been suspended. Many drivers are horrified when they are arrested for a new charge of Driving on a Suspended License after getting pulled over for what should have been a routine traffic stop.
In Georgia, you can check the status of your license at dds.ga.gov.
How Do you Deal With a Failure to Appear in Alpharetta Municipal Court?
Once you know about the failure to appear charge, you should work quickly to resolve it and clear up the bench warrant issued by the Alpharetta Municipal Court. Then, you can take steps to reinstate your driver’s license once you get the 912 forms from the Court.
The specific steps to take are unique to each court and they change regularly. If you plan to hire an attorney, you should let her handle this step.
If you want to represent yourself, you should contact the Alpharetta Municipal Court Clerk at (678) 297-6250 to get instructions for payment or for a new date to come back to court.
The Court is located at 12624 Broadwell Road in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Do I need a Lawyer for a Failure to Appear Ticket in Alpharetta?
Generally speaking, plenty of people represent themselves on FTA traffic citations in Georgia every single day. Drivers can be very successful in resolving simple or non-reportable traffic citations on their own.
The other side of that coin (there is always another side) is that FTA license suspensions can be complicated. And depending on the seriousness of the underlying citation, there may be more collateral consequences involved than you realize.
Whether your FTA matter is simple or more complicated, an attorney can help find a quick resolution while making it as painless as possible.
If you would like help navigating Alpharetta Municipal Court and resolving your FTA case, reach out to one of our attorneys today.