(A) (1) Upon the filing of a complaint charging violation of an ordinance, the Judge, unless he or she determines to issue a warrant of arrest, or unless the defendant previously has been issued a citation or has been arrested and has given bond for appearance, shall issue a summons, naming the person charged, specifying his or her address or place of residence, if known, stating the offense with which he or she is charged and giving him or her notice to answer the charge in the court on a day certain, and containing a provision for the official return of the summons, and including such other pertinent information as may be necessary.
(2) The summons shall be served by delivering a copy to the defendant personally or by certified mail. If he or she fails to appear and to answer the summons within the prescribed period, a warrant shall be issued for his or her arrest, as provided by this subchapter.
(3) Any person who has been duly served with a summons or traffic citation and who has signed a written promise to appear in court as directed in the summons or the citation, or as subsequently directed by the court, and who fails to appear pursuant to his or her written promise or as directed by the court, shall be deemed guilty of an offense.
(Prior Code, § 6-115)
(B) (1) If, without sufficient excuse, a defendant fails to appear according to the terms or conditions of his or her bond, either for hearing, arraignment, trial, or judgment, or upon any other occasion when his or her presence in court or before the Judge may be lawfully required or ordered, the Judge may direct that fact to be entered upon the court minutes, thereby declaring the bond to be forfeited. The Judge may also order a bench warrant to be issued for the defendant as provided in this subchapter.
(2) The Judge, without advancing court costs, may also cause the forfeiture to be certified to the district court of the county, where it shall be entered upon the judgment docket, and shall have their full force and effect of a district court judgment. At such time as the forfeiture is entered upon the district court judgment docket, the district court Clerk shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of 59 O.S. §§ 1301 et seq., and a surety shall have all remedies available under the provisions of 22 O.S. § 1108 and 59 O.S. §§ 1301 et seq.
(Prior Code, § 6-116)
(C) No person, having signed a complaint in the municipal court of the town alleging the violation of an ordinance, or any other person in response to an order of the court, shall fail, refuse, or neglect to appear, for the purpose of testifying as a witness, at the trial of the case, after having been notified of the time, date, and place at which the case is set for trial.
(Prior Code, § 6-117)
Statutory reference:
Failure to appear according to the terms of bond, see 11 O.S. § 27-118