Minnesota DWI Jail Release
People arrested for suspected gross misdemeanor or felony DWI offenses often are detained in jail, pending a court appearance. A person who is arrested without a warrant can spend four days or more in jail before he or she has a court appearance addressing conditions of release. Jay Carey can help get your friend or family member out of jail as soon as possible under the circumstances. If you would like to explore jail release options, please call Jay at 612-548-2988 (work) or 952-412-6070 (cell) for a free consultation.
In a warrantless arrest such as the typical DWI case, the prosecution and courts must comply with two rules. First, a judicial determination of probable cause to detain the defendant must be made within 48 hours of the arrest. The judicial determination also should set bail or conditions of release, although some defendants will continue to be held without bail. If the court fails to make a judicial determination of probable cause within 48 hours of arrest, the jail must release the defendant without any conditions. Second, if a judicial determination of probable cause is made within 48 hours of arrest, the defendant nevertheless must appear in court within 36 hours. However, the 36-hour rule does not include the day of arrest, Sunday, and holidays. Thus, if someone is arrested at 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, the person would have to appear in court by noon on Tuesday, assuming Monday is not a holiday.
In gross misdemeanor DWI cases, i.e., charges of Second or Third Degree DWI/Test Refusal, a defendant is entitled to release without any conditions upon posting maximum bail/bond of $12,000. In other offenses, the bail maximum bail amount will vary.
If maximum bail is set at $12,000, the defendant has the option of posting $12,000 cash with the jail or retaining a bail bondsman to post bond in the amount of $12,000. If a defendant posts $12,000 cash, he or she will be entitled to return of $12,000 minus any fines and court costs upon resolution of the case. If the defendant fails to appear in court as required, the court may revoke the bail and the defendant could forfeit the $12,000. Because most defendants do not have access to $12,000 cash on short notice, most defendants will retain a bail bondsman.
A bail bondsman fee generally is 10%. Thus, if bail is set at $12,000, the defendant or his family member would pay the bail bondsman $1,200 to secure release of the defendant. The bail bondsman then will post bond with the court. If the defendant fails to appear in court as required, the bail bondsman will be liable to pay the court $12,000 if the defendant is not brought to court in a timely manner. In that case, the bondsman will attempt to bring the defendant to court, and if unsuccessful, will sue the defendant or the co-signer of the bond for $12,000.
In felony cases, the bail analysis is more complicated. A defendant usually will have to appear in court where a judge will set bail based on arguments made by the prosecution and defense attorney.
If you have questions about jail release, please call Jay Carey anytime at 612-548-2988.
