I’m out on bail, and was arrested again, should I be Worried?
Yes. You should be. Being arrested while out on bail can have major implications on your pending case as well as the new case you have been arrested for. First, being arrested while you have one case pending will throw a wrench in any settlement negotiations or progress toward settlement your lawyer has built up with the Prosecutor. The Prosecutor will likely take any deal that had previously been made off the table and start over.
Second, if you are on bail for a felony matter and have been arrested for a new felony, you are in deep water. This scenario is commonly referred to as “Crime Bail Crime.” If you are on felony bail, and are arrested for a new felony, the Prosecutor can charge you with an Enhancement for a Crime Bail Crime which will add an ADDITONAL 2 years to any sentence you could receive on the new arrest.
Third, because of the new arrest, the court can decide to either revoke your bail, take you into custody and not set bail (depending on the seriousness of the charges you are facing), or decide to increase your bail if bail was set below the bail schedule initially. Therefore, if your bail is revoked or increased, the money you have already paid to a bail bonds company is essentially gone, lost.
If you find yourself in one or all of these scenarios, you need to seek legal advice. Contact a competent California criminal defense attorney who can answer your questions and mitigate the consequences of your actions.
