Arrested in America but left before court
Discussion
More of an interest than anything, someone I know went on a lads holiday to America, first night one gets arrested for simple assault.
Person A fell asleep drunk
Person B decided to play fight him and had him in a choke hold
Person A wakes up knocks Person B
Lots of ruckus and shouting, next door hotel room call police.
State police turn up and listen to the situation and decide not to arrest, until local police turn up and they arrest him and charge him with simple assault, his mate had a massively busted up lip.
Goes to holding for the night and processed through and released with a court hearing on the 8th Nov.
He's now flown back and is obviously going to miss the court hearing (which I believe can add more offences to your record in America) and will now have an arrest warrant out for him.
So they've spoken to both embassies and both have said hire an attorney, which is $5000 he doesn't have.
His mate is trying to get the charges dropped with the police at the moment.
Is there anyway you can represent yourself from the UK or accept the charges and probable fine? Or perhaps ring the court and speak to a court officer to plead guilty? Or is he basically never going to America ever again?
Person A fell asleep drunk
Person B decided to play fight him and had him in a choke hold
Person A wakes up knocks Person B
Lots of ruckus and shouting, next door hotel room call police.
State police turn up and listen to the situation and decide not to arrest, until local police turn up and they arrest him and charge him with simple assault, his mate had a massively busted up lip.
Goes to holding for the night and processed through and released with a court hearing on the 8th Nov.
He's now flown back and is obviously going to miss the court hearing (which I believe can add more offences to your record in America) and will now have an arrest warrant out for him.
So they've spoken to both embassies and both have said hire an attorney, which is $5000 he doesn't have.
His mate is trying to get the charges dropped with the police at the moment.
Is there anyway you can represent yourself from the UK or accept the charges and probable fine? Or perhaps ring the court and speak to a court officer to plead guilty? Or is he basically never going to America ever again?
A mate of mine was arrested for "public urination and defacation" in North Carolina a few years ago. He paid the fine under (the equivalent of a UK) caution. $350 was an expensive piss.
He was due to be at my wedding 6 months later in the US, and he was not sure if he would have an issue getting back in the country or not. So he tested it with a 24 hour trip to New York to see what would happen (he is a strange one). He got in with no issues. He then got in to Vegas for my wedding, and also another trip we did to Phoenix.
Then last year 4 years after the offence he got stopped at US customs as it flagged up that he had a criminal record. Eventually they let him in (after a couple of hours), and he could prove it was only a caution. I think part of the issue was that he had ticked the "no criminal record" box. He was advised that going forward he always needs to tick that box, and it will delay him getting into the country every time.
I know this is a very different situation as my mate did not miss a court date - but the point of sharing is that even for something that was so low key - he now has the hassle every time he travels to USA. I would imagine your mate will have far larger problems, and needs to find a way to resolve it. If I ever thought I was going to be in US again - I would be on skyscanner - and getting on the plane for the court date. Still cheaper than an attorney. Bonus is he may not even need to book accommodation if they choose to put him in Jail for bit?
He was due to be at my wedding 6 months later in the US, and he was not sure if he would have an issue getting back in the country or not. So he tested it with a 24 hour trip to New York to see what would happen (he is a strange one). He got in with no issues. He then got in to Vegas for my wedding, and also another trip we did to Phoenix.
Then last year 4 years after the offence he got stopped at US customs as it flagged up that he had a criminal record. Eventually they let him in (after a couple of hours), and he could prove it was only a caution. I think part of the issue was that he had ticked the "no criminal record" box. He was advised that going forward he always needs to tick that box, and it will delay him getting into the country every time.
I know this is a very different situation as my mate did not miss a court date - but the point of sharing is that even for something that was so low key - he now has the hassle every time he travels to USA. I would imagine your mate will have far larger problems, and needs to find a way to resolve it. If I ever thought I was going to be in US again - I would be on skyscanner - and getting on the plane for the court date. Still cheaper than an attorney. Bonus is he may not even need to book accommodation if they choose to put him in Jail for bit?
Fats25 said:
A mate of mine was arrested for "public urination and defacation" in North Carolina a few years ago. He paid the fine under (the equivalent of a UK) caution. $350 was an expensive piss.
He was due to be at my wedding 6 months later in the US, and he was not sure if he would have an issue getting back in the country or not. So he tested it with a 24 hour trip to New York to see what would happen (he is a strange one). He got in with no issues. He then got in to Vegas for my wedding, and also another trip we did to Phoenix.
Then last year 4 years after the offence he got stopped at US customs as it flagged up that he had a criminal record. Eventually they let him in (after a couple of hours), and he could prove it was only a caution. I think part of the issue was that he had ticked the "no criminal record" box. He was advised that going forward he always needs to tick that box, and it will delay him getting into the country every time.
I know this is a very different situation as my mate did not miss a court date - but the point of sharing is that even for something that was so low key - he now has the hassle every time he travels to USA. I would imagine your mate will have far larger problems, and needs to find a way to resolve it. If I ever thought I was going to be in US again - I would be on skyscanner - and getting on the plane for the court date. Still cheaper than an attorney. Bonus is he may not even need to book accommodation if they choose to put him in Jail for bit?
free accommodation ! bonus. If not then a mini holiday bonus! win win Shirley?He was due to be at my wedding 6 months later in the US, and he was not sure if he would have an issue getting back in the country or not. So he tested it with a 24 hour trip to New York to see what would happen (he is a strange one). He got in with no issues. He then got in to Vegas for my wedding, and also another trip we did to Phoenix.
Then last year 4 years after the offence he got stopped at US customs as it flagged up that he had a criminal record. Eventually they let him in (after a couple of hours), and he could prove it was only a caution. I think part of the issue was that he had ticked the "no criminal record" box. He was advised that going forward he always needs to tick that box, and it will delay him getting into the country every time.
I know this is a very different situation as my mate did not miss a court date - but the point of sharing is that even for something that was so low key - he now has the hassle every time he travels to USA. I would imagine your mate will have far larger problems, and needs to find a way to resolve it. If I ever thought I was going to be in US again - I would be on skyscanner - and getting on the plane for the court date. Still cheaper than an attorney. Bonus is he may not even need to book accommodation if they choose to put him in Jail for bit?
Similar thing happened to my friends and they got a bondsman to sort it out from jail. As a foreigner he could have got a fast tracked court appearance to the next day and then just got away with a small fine.
However, having not paid it he needs to find out if he is wanted in that state or nationally as some things are only liable for arrest in that state, though I fear assault isn't one of those.
Also, every time he goes to the states from now until the day he dies will be a massive chore. He will get pulled aside and questioned every time and it all depends on how much of a tw@t the boarder security guard is. Sometimes it is a 5 minute chat and because immigration is done on landing now and not at destination, as happened once, my friend told him he had a connecting flight in 2 hours to Vegas and asked would he be able to make sure it was concluded by then. Cue the "don't tell me how to do my job Sir" and a guy delaying everything as much as possible until letting him go 1 minute after the plane had departed. w
ker.
So, your mate is unfortunately in the st for life with going to the US but if he doesn't sort it out now he may as well never go there again.
However, having not paid it he needs to find out if he is wanted in that state or nationally as some things are only liable for arrest in that state, though I fear assault isn't one of those.
Also, every time he goes to the states from now until the day he dies will be a massive chore. He will get pulled aside and questioned every time and it all depends on how much of a tw@t the boarder security guard is. Sometimes it is a 5 minute chat and because immigration is done on landing now and not at destination, as happened once, my friend told him he had a connecting flight in 2 hours to Vegas and asked would he be able to make sure it was concluded by then. Cue the "don't tell me how to do my job Sir" and a guy delaying everything as much as possible until letting him go 1 minute after the plane had departed. w
ker.So, your mate is unfortunately in the s
t for life with going to the US but if he doesn't sort it out now he may as well never go there again.brrapp said:
On of my friends was a student in the US in the sixties, he avoided the draft for Vietnam by returning to the UK via Cananda. Although now in his 70s, he has never been able to visit the US since and even now would be straight to jail before he got through customs.
Odd.In 1977, one day after his inauguration, President Jimmy Carter fulfilled a campaign promise by offering pardons to anyone who had evaded the draft and requested one.
and: https://www.justice.gov/pardon/vietnam-war-era-par...
Even for the Selective Service System, there have been no prosecutions of draft registration resisters since January 1986.
Vaud said:
brrapp said:
On of my friends was a student in the US in the sixties, he avoided the draft for Vietnam by returning to the UK via Cananda. Although now in his 70s, he has never been able to visit the US since and even now would be straight to jail before he got through customs.
Odd.In 1977, one day after his inauguration, President Jimmy Carter fulfilled a campaign promise by offering pardons to anyone who had evaded the draft and requested one.
and: https://www.justice.gov/pardon/vietnam-war-era-par...
Even for the Selective Service System, there have been no prosecutions of draft registration resisters since January 1986.
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