It is that time of year when people tend to get a little too "merry," and that one-horse open sleigh ride turns into a crash-up because the driver has indulged in too much eggnog. If you or your relative was a holiday driver of any sort of vehicle, and that vehicle crashed into other drivers or objects, you will undoubtedly find your way into a courtroom betwixt Christmas and New Year's. If you (or your relative) are charged and arrested on the actual holiday, you may be sitting in jail for a few days until the judges return from visiting family. At that point, you are definitely going to want your court-appointed lawyer to ask for bail so that you are not spending the last days of this year or the first days of the new year in jail. That is where bail bonds come in.

​The Courts May Be Closed, but Bail Bonds Agents Are Not

​Even though you cannot get through arraignment with a judge just yet, you can still find a bail bond agent. (If you were the one arrested, your family will have to find the bail bond agent instead.) Some bail bond agents may even open up shop for you on Christmas and New Year's Day, but you can expect the majority of them to be closed and open on the days after these holidays. Arrange an appointment bright and early on the next business day to meet with a bail bond agent. You can at least get the paperwork started for the bail bond, even if your relative will not see a judge for another day or two.

​If You Have the Case File Number, Bring It (If Not, Do Not Worry)

​Every incident for which someone is arrested is assigned a court case file number. If you have the case file number, bring it with you to the bail bond agent's office. If you do not have it yet because the relative has not yet been assigned a number, do not worry. You can still fill out the paperwork and the bail bond agent can fill in the case number later. As for the bail amount, you will have to wait until the judge grants it. Be ready to give the standard ten percent down to the bail bond agent. If this is the very first time that your relative was arrested under a DUI charge, the bail amount will likely be fairly low anyway.

Share