§ 153.992 Penalty for failure to appear

If you get a citation for a violation, you're required to show up at certain points in the case. This rule says you break the law if you skip out on any of these required appearances on purpose. That includes missing your first court date, not showing up for your trial, or failing to appear at any other time the court tells you to.

The key word here is "knowingly." You have to be aware of your obligation to appear and choose not to show up. If you genuinely didn't know about a court date, that's different from ignoring one you knew about.

If you're convicted of failing to appear, it's treated as a Class A misdemeanor. That's a more serious charge than the original violation, and it can carry penalties like fines or even jail time. So even if the underlying violation was minor, like a traffic ticket, skipping your court date can turn into a bigger legal problem.