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Violation of Promise to Appear 853.7. Any person who willfully violates his or her written promise to appear or a lawfully granted continuance of his or her promise to appear in court is guilty of a misdemeanor, regardless of the disposition of the charge upon which he or she was originally arrested. Penal Code section 853.7a. (a) In addition to the fees authorized or required by any other provision of law, a county may, by resolution of the board of supervisors, require the courts of that county to impose an assessment of fifteen dollars ($15) upon every person who violates his or her written promise to appear or a lawfully granted continuance of his or her promise to appear in court or before a person authorized to receive a deposit of bail, or who otherwise fails to comply with any valid court order for a violation of any provision of this code or local ordinance adopted pursuant to this code. This assessment shall apply whether or not a violation of Section 853.7 is concurrently charged or a warrant of arrest is issued pursuant to Section 853.8. (b) The clerk of the court shall deposit the amounts collected under this section in the county treasury. All money so deposited shall be used first for the development and operation of an automated county warrant system. If sufficient funds are available after appropriate expenditures to develop, modernize, and maintain the automated warrant system, a county may use the balance to fund a warrant service task force for the purpose of serving all bench warrants within the county. 853.8. When a person signs a written promise to appear at the time and place specified in the written promise to appear and has not posted bail as provided in Section 853.6, the magistrate shall issue and have delivered for execution a warrant for his or her arrest within 20 days after his or her failure to appear as promised or within 20 days after his or her failure to appear after a lawfully granted continuance of his or her promise to appear. |