The holiday season is usually filled with joy, happiness and hopefulness. But if you receive a phone call letting you know that your loved one was arrested during the holiday season, you may be filled with anger, fear or nervousness. You may not know what to do or how to help your loved one. Here is some information you should know if your loved one is arrested during the holiday season in Las Vegas.
Take Steps to Avoid Being Arrested During the Holidays
In some cases, you can prevent being arrested during the holiday season. One of the ways you can prevent this is to be mindful of your actions. Drunk driving arrests increase during the holiday season. If you have been drinking, rely on a friend, family member, taxi or ride-sharing service to get home safely. Las Vegas cops are cracking down on drunk driving and will pull you over if they suspect you have been doing so, which can lead to your arrest.
Secondly, if you know you have a warrant out for your arrest, try to take care of it, so you don’t have to worry about police knocking on your door and arresting you during the holiday season. Bench warrants can be quashed or recalled, and for other warrants, you may be able to arrange for bail before turning yourself in, helping you to get out within hours.
Be Prepared for Delays
If your loved one is arrested during the holidays, it is important that you be prepared for delays. Following an arrest in Nevada, your loved one is entitled to have a hearing within 48 or 72 judicial hours if bail is not set or they cannot afford to bail out. It is important to note that judicial hours do not include weekends or holidays. During the holiday season, courts may be closed for state or federal holidays. This does not count toward the 48 or 72 hours in which your loved one goes before a judge. As such, you need to have more patience during the holiday season.
In addition to expecting court delays, you should also expect delays with defense criminal attorneys or public defenders. Their offices are closed on holidays and they may be short-staffed due to employees taking time off for the holidays. It can be stressful, but knowing that delays will occur and expecting them can ease some of your stress.
Find a Bail Bonds Company That Can Assist You
If bail has been set for your loved one, you should always work to find a bail bonds company that can assist you in getting your loved ones out. Being in jail can be scary and stressful for your loved one any time of the year. They may be worried about losing their job and their income, be worried about the future and be scared of being locked in a small cell. It is easy and understandable to be upset if your loved one is arrested, but now is not the time to teach lessons or make them sit there. A bail bonds company can work with you to get your loved one out of jail as quickly as possible, even during the holiday season.
Bring Them Home and Let Them Rest
The last thing you should do if your loved one is arrested during the holiday season is to bring them home and let them rest after bailing them out. After you have bailed a loved one out of jail you may want to ask them questions, yell at them or get their side of the story. However, being in jail in Las Vegas can be stressful. Your loved one likely has not gotten much sleep, may not have eaten very much and may not have had the ability to shower. When you bring them home, let them shower, give them something healthy to eat and let them rest. What you have to say can wait until they have time to decompress and process what has happened to them.
If your loved one has managed to get themselves arrested during the holiday season, you need to find a Las Vegas bail bonds company to assist you. Here at Lightning Bail, we can help you with your Las Vegas bail bond needs. Contact us today to get started.