IN MAINE. im a california resident and have lived here 4 months (dont ask why lol) i got a possession charge after a pull over (verbatim: "it looked like you were speeding," is what the cop said, coming from the opposite side) im arranged to come in 3/23/2011 but im going to move to washington DC that same week.. im not coming back to maine nor do i want to. what happens if i skip the date and never come back to maine? will anything follow me to DC, Cali, or NY? the cop found a pinch that would fill less than half a small bowl piece after searching my car. his reason was he found a glass jar, and asked whats inside it, i said nothing, he asked what WAS inside it, i answered weed. this was all after pulling me over for looking like i was driving to fast (from the other side of the road) seems phony enough
Of course it will catch up with you, the next time you try to apply for a job and the background checks comes up with possession AND bailing out of state. It sucks you got pinched but you got it pretty easy. People are uptight about drugs up here in the new england but if it's your first offence, 90% chance you're walking away with community service duties, drug ed class (after forking over a ton of cash), and a sealed record. It's a one strike rule though, get caught again and it's full punishment. That is, if you show up on time and look clean.
Maine Marijuana Penalties - NORML= Its a slap on the wrist, but if you bail, you're just going to make it worse
And if you ever get pulled over and they run your plates/drivers license your fucked for skipping out on a court date.
Usually, if you skip a court date they put out a bench warrant for your arrest. However, since it is not a criminal charge in Main it may be different and only lead to additional charges. Eventually, however, it will become a bench warrant and if any cop runs your license you'll get arrested (and possibly sent back to Maine).
Will they extradite you for a misdemeanor charge. Probably not. Unless they want to question you for something else. The worst that would probably happen is they could suspend your license if you get pulled over. I'm not sure of the statute of limitations on something like that but after a few years it would be dropped most likely.
Chances are, no they will not extradite you for a misdemeanor charge. But because of their computer system these days, it won't matter what state you are in. You won't be able to drive without some worry and if you do get into trouble or pick up a new charge, it will make you look that much worse for your current charge. It's best to get it over with. The more responsible you look to the courts, the less of a hassle they will give you. Warrants never expire, unless you fake your own death. If you really do have plans to move to DC, you will most likely need to prove/show it to the courts. Whether its for school, a job or whatever. They won't just take your word for it. Also, if you are supposedly moving the same week, then you should get the date bumped up a week or 2 closer. That way you can explain your situation better. If it was that small of an amount, I cannot imagine it being a big deal unless you turn it into one. Just own up to it, learn from your mistake and move on. That's the privilege of being an adult. Also, I would make sure you can piss clean that week just in case. (this is not legal advice, just opinions based off of experience. if you are truly worried, consult an attorney)
caught me off guard to be honest, had no clue it was there. when the judge ask me guilt or not, should i state why he pulled me over? i feel it wasnt right to be pulled over later for "it looked like you were speeding" im also an asian driving with california plates and i feel it was profiling and pulling me over because i had cali plates in maine.
Dude, you're already making it harder than it has to be. It's not a big deal. Can you afford an attorney? Even if you can't, a public defender should be more than capable of handling such a small possession charge. In some cases they are better for things like these because they see the judge/prosecutor so often. It's called a plea bargain dude. If the officer said he found weed, then I personally would plead guilty. Why would you turn a bowl pack of pot into the OJ Simpson case with that racist BS? If it were me, I would show the judge or whoever all the good things I have going on in my life; ie school,job,family whatever. Say it was a mistake and move on. Seek a lawyer if youre that worried instead of just hearing what you want to hear on GC. again, this is just my opinion
Its done, and the best thing you can do now is get a lawyer and get it out of the way, in the most reasonable and painless way possible. Having things hanging over your head can be very stressful.
If you would not have admitted to the contents of the jar... you could have just let him taken it... gone to court and asked what speed you were traveling to merit the pull over. Ergo when he says pretty fast the judge would facepalm.
If you FTA, on a traffic citation, inevitably, your license will be suspended no matter what state you move to. It might take 6 months for all the paperwork to go through, but they'll issue a warrant, suspend your license, then you'll have to go back and settle things in order to get it reinstated. FTA is the dumbest move ever dude.