I live in Indiana. What happens if I don''t appear in criminal court on a felony charge because I am too sick to go? This would be the second time.

Failure to appear for a scheduled court date is a serious matter.Since your charge is a felony, I assume you are on bond.  If you fail to appear at a scheduled court date requiring your appearance, a warrant will likely issue for your arrest.  Your bond may be forfeited. In Indiana, failure to appear on a felony charge can result in an additional felony charge being brought against you.If you don’t already have an attorney, I recommend you retain an experienced criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.  If your court date hasn’t yet occurred, and you are too ill to attend court, he or she can seek a continuance.  If you have already missed your court appearance, your counsel can arrange a date and time for you to surrender, and appear in court with you to provide mitigating evidence regarding your non-appearance and  illness and seek your re-release on bond. Your attorney, once familiar with your particular charge and details regarding your illness and any prior record of non-appearances, will be in the best position to advise you of any additional options. If you wait and do nothing, and a warrant for your arrest  has issued, you are subject to arrest at any time.  It will be far better in the long run if you take care of this before that occurs. Jeralyn Merritt, Ask a Lawyer Panelist since 1998