I was told by the officer that I actually have to come to court to deal with my Virginia Reckless Driving charge. Is this true, and if so, why do I have to come all the way back to Virginia to appear in court?
Sort of. In Virginia, if you are charged with Reckless Driving, or any other criminal offense, the law requires you to appear in court to answer the charge. The rule makes sense when you consider the fact that as a misdemeanor criminal offense, the possible punishments for Reckless Driving in Virginia include the imposition of a jail sentence. Since it is impossible to incarcerate someone who is not present before the court, the law requires persons accused of Reckless Driving to appear in court. Signing the summons / ticket is a promise to appear in court in Virginia to answer the Reckless Driving charge.
However, as a practical matter, everyone convicted of Reckless Driving in Virginia is not incarcerated, so in some situations it is possible to hire a Virginia lawyer to appear in court on your behalf and handle the case in your absence - without the need for you to actually come to court. If you have been accused of Reckless Driving in Virginia, you should discuss this with your lawyer and determine whether you need to appear in court.
If you have been accused of a Virginia Reckless Driving offense, Manassas, Virginia Reckless Driving Lawyer, T. Kevin Wilson and The Wilson Law Firm can help you.