nevada
Can my husband get arrested if I don&#39;t attend court with him?
<p>My spouse got arrested for domestic violence because someone else called the cops on him for me, however I did not press charges. Now he's got to go back to Vegas. We reside in California but I can't go to court with him. </p>

<p>Can he get arrested if I do not show up with him?</p>

<p>Possibly.  I wonder if you mean "convicted" rather than "arrested"?</p>

<ul>
<li>There is no way that he will be "arrested" because you don't accompany him ("arrested" is when he taken by the police before a trial).</li>
<li>On the other hand, if he plans to call you as a witness for the defence, then your absence may mean he is convicted at his trial when otherwise he would be found innocent.</li>
<li>The final possibility is that you might act as a character witness after conviction, and your absence may mean he is sent to jail rather than fined.</li>
</ul>

<p>It <em>may</em> be possible for you to write a witness statement describing what happened, and to have this notarized.  On the other hand, the prosecution may well want to cross examine you.</p>

<p>I am pretty sure you can write a character witness statement (saying, if true, that it's a first offence and that you have forgiven him, etc) and get it notarized.  That <em>might</em> persuade a court to be lenient.</p>

<p>I think you (as a couple) need to talk to his lawyer.</p>

<p>Yes he can.</p>

<p>You (as a private citizen) do not "press charges"; the state of Nevada decides if it is in the public interest that your husband face court for his alleged crime. Your involvement is beside the point.</p>

<p>If they have sufficient evidence and believe that the case should be pursued then they will seek an arrest warrant which is valid in all 50 states of the US and every country with which the US has an extradition treaty. Obviously, there are a lot of warrant's out there and police have other things to do then follow them all up, however, if he crosses paths with the police (e.g. Stopped for a traffic violation in California) then it will flash up that he has an outstanding warrant in Nevada and he will likely be arrested by the Californian police and extradited to Nevada to face court.</p>
