Q: My friend missed a court date without knowing it.
So, about two years ago a friend of mine had been charged with aggravated assault. An angry ex had done this to get back at him, but the charges were dropped. That's what his lawyer told him, but recently after his ex started speaking about wanting him arrested. The cops show up and arrest him on failure to appear in court. After inquiring to afew policemen we believe he was never told about fees he still had to pay so it was never actually closed. He has a clean record and a stable job, and because of this he was clueless as to how the system works. Since it's been two years I'm scared about what will happen to him. Although he was never notified of a warrant out for his arrest, and he got pulled over for a speeding ticket once and wasn't arrested? Which I imagine he would of been if he had a warrant. I don't know much about the system either so I'm extremely confused and very scared. I don't know what to do to help him. I just need advice, thank you!
A: I am a little confused about the exact status of your friends case, but a failure to appear is a felony in Tennessee, regardless of whether your friend knew about the court date or not. He needs to either get ahold of the court clerk or talk to a defense attorney - it is not unusual for a warrant to be issued in FTA cases
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