24 hr Jail - Mandatory for DUI in GA?

Question

My boyfriend got a DUI on his 21st birthday.. he accidentally missed his court date last month for this case therefore a court ordered bench warrant was out for his arrest for failure to appear.

In the state of Georgia there is a required mandatory 24 hours in jail for the first offense of driving under the influence. After his arrest, he served about 16 hours before being bonded out.

From my understanding after talking to a bail bondsman, they were supposed to detain him for the remaining 24 hours immediately after his court date - which he missed.

Since he has court next week for a minor traffic violation, he has decided to effectively turn himself in for his failure to appear on that date. Does this mean he will be forced to service the remaining 24 hour period or can he be bonded out upon rearrest?

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

As long as the offense is a bailable offense then he can always bail out if there is no court decision yet issued in his case.  But if there was a decision already issued he cannot bail out anymore.