What Is the Difference Between Felony Charges in Custody and Out of Custody in Nevada?
Being accused of any felony in the State of Nevada is an overwhelming experience and one that should prompt you to hire a lawyer. If you are in custody, a 48-hour hearing and a 72-hour hearing may be held to determine whether or not you can be released and how much the bail bond will be. If you stay in custody after this point, a preliminary hearing is then scheduled within 14 days of the 72-hour hearing.
This preliminary hearing will have a significant impact on your case and you should have a criminal defense attorney at your side to help you. It is important that you have a knowledgeable felony lawyer at your side as soon as possible after you have been accused to walk through all the options and to get a better understanding of what is involved. Preliminary hearings can be extremely fact intensive. When you are out of jail, the court will set a felony court return date or an arraignment that could be weeks or months into the future.
This is handled quite differently from an in-custody event. After the arraignment, the court then schedules a preliminary hearing to identify whether or not the probable cause exists to move the case into district court. District court is where the official jury trial for felony charges take place. Felony trials occur at the district court for the county in which the charges were filed. A Clarke County district court is the most common place for people who have been accused of felonies in Las Vegas to end up. Negotiating felony cases can be extremely complex, but there are options, the sooner you take action with the help of an experienced lawyer.
If you wait too long to get help from an attorney, you could expose yourself to a number of different risks and mistakes that could ultimately compromise the outcome of your case. You are far better off to schedule a consultation with a knowledgeable felony attorney at the outset of your case and to explore all possible options including plea bargains and reduced charges. Felony charges and convictions can have a significant impact on your future.