My loved one has been arrested in Jacksonville. Now what?

It is a terrible jolt when you or someone you love is arrested in Duval, Clay, Nassau or St. Johns County. There is a feeling of helplessness, but you don’t have to handle it alone. Our Jacksonville Arrest Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is here for you at all hours, every day.

As soon as a police officer orders you to stop or puts the handcuffs on, you are detained. You have the absolute right to be silent. Exercise that right. Absolutely EVERYTHING you say can be used against you in court. You will be eventually be transported to the Duval County Jail and be processed. Once you reach the your floor of the jail, you can make collect phone calls. Most of the time, you will not be able to bond out of jail in Duval County until you go in front of a judge. This is called first appearance court, or J-1 for short in Jacksonville. When you go in front of the judge, you will be sitting with everyone who was arrested in the last twelve to twenty-four hours. The judge will read the arrest and booking report and make two determinations. First, he or she will determine whether or not there was probable cause to arrest you. This means more likely than not, a crime was committed. Second, the judge will determine your conditions of release. Most of the time, the judge will impose a monetary bond that you will have to post to bond out of jail in Jacksonville. If you can afford to pay the whole amount of the bond, at the conclusion of your case, the entire amount will be returned to you. You can also utilize a bail bondsman. You, or your loved ones, must give the bondsman ten percent of the bond amount and they will vouch for the rest. You must also provide some type of collateral, such as a car title, for the amount above the ten percent. When your case is disposed of, you get the collateral back and the bondsman keeps the ten percent.

Often times in Jacksonville, the bonds are set extremely high. Higher than most every other county around. If your loved one’s bond is set too high for you to meet, there is hope. Contact a Jacksonville Bond Reduction Lawyer immediately. We can move the court to lower the bond at any time, presenting evidence of your ties to the community, employment information and family situation.

If you have been arrested for a felony in Jacksonville, you will be given a future court date about three weeks out. That time in between is the most crucial of any felony case. A prosecutor will get assigned to your case and they will make a decision about whether or not to file the felony charge. It is important to have an experienced Duval County Attorney advocating for you before that decision is made. If you are arrested for a misdemeanor in Jacksonville, you may be given the option to enter a plea in first appearance court. If you have not consulted with an attorney, do NOT enter any guilty or no contest plea in first appearance court. Plea NOT guilty and you will have the opportunity to call a Duval County criminal lawyer to discuss your rights.

If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our Jacksonville Bond Reduction Lawyer, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.