[reesespiece]

Here are the details of the very poor decisions I made, making a situation a lot worse than it need be.

-----In 2003, I was notified that I had written a bad check for an amount making it a misdemeanor in NC (less than $2,000). For various financial reasons, I did not pay this. Almost one year later in 2004, an officer showed up at my door and arrested me for an outstanding warrant from the county the check/business originated in. The judge released me on the promise to show up to court. Well, foolishly I did not and I still havent taken care of this matter.

I have called the magistrate where the warrant is active in and he advised that when I come turn myself in, I will probably be charged bail and if I cant pay it, then I would be held until I get a new court date.

My question is, are NC courts likely to make me serve jail time for the missed court date and bad check? Yes, I realize I need to take care of it and should have a long time ago. I have never been in trouble for anything before. My greatest fear is of being put in jail for months or something. How likely am I to do jail time for these offenses, considering I am a first time offender?

[Mr. Knowitall]

If it were me, I would consult a lawyer in the county where the warrant is pending and see first if there was a way to cut a deal in advance of going to court, and second if it would be possible to arrange a court date in advance such that I could avoid spending any time in jail. And of course, I would pay the restitution.

[reesespiece]

Thank You for the advice, it is much appreciated as I had never considered that option.

Also, for those that come across this and live in NC, I thought you may find this of some interest. This is from a law firm in Jacksonville, NC and although this is not where my crime took place, it gives a general over view of NC felonies/misdemeanors and how the punishment is doled out. According to this law firm, the maximum amount of time one can serve for the highest class misdemeanor in NC is 150 days.

View the website here: http://www.collinsandmoore.com/crimi...ml#anchor74897

...... the maximum sentence for any misdemeanor is 150 days and typically any active sentence which a defendant receives as the result of a misdemeanor conviction will be served in the county jail. On the other hand, the lower class of misdemeanor and the fewer points you have from a prior criminal record, the lower the punishment you will receive. For example, if you plead guilty or are found guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor and you have no prior criminal convictions, then the punishment imposed will be probation rather than an active sentence. The punishments for misdemeanors can vary from receiving unsupervised probation to receiving an active sentence.

And here is a link to the punishment chart/grid which is used in NC Courts.
www.famm.org/pdfs/NC%20printerversion.pdf

If you know what class your 'crime' falls into, you should be able to determine your maximum sentence or at least get an idea.

Still, anyone else with experience in this matter would be much appreciated for their response. NC seems to be odd in what they tackle; over 2,000 sex offenders that the state cant find and has bogus addresses for but they pound the pavement for low class misdemeanors. This is not to excuse any crime or wrong doing, including mine, but it does make me very angry.