NRS178.508. Duties of court when defendant fails to appear; procedure for issuing order of forfeiture; when forfeiture becomes effective; grounds for extending date of forfeiture.

      1.  If the defendant fails to appear when the defendant’s presence in court is lawfully required for the commission of a misdemeanor and the failure to appear is not excused or is lawfully required for the commission of a gross misdemeanor or felony, the court shall:

      (a) Enter upon its minutes that the defendant failed to appear;

      (b) Not later than 45 days after the date on which the defendant failed to appear, order the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the defendant; and

      (c) If the undertaking exceeds $50 or money deposited instead of bail bond exceeds $500, direct that each surety and the local agent of each surety, or the depositor if the depositor is not the defendant, be given notice that the defendant has failed to appear, by certified mail within 20 days after the date on which the defendant failed to appear. The court shall execute an affidavit of such mailing to be kept as an official public record of the court and shall direct that a copy of the notice be transmitted to the prosecuting attorney at the same time that notice is given to each surety or the depositor.

      2.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3 and NRS 178.509, an order of forfeiture of any undertaking or money deposited instead of bail bond must be prepared by the clerk of court and signed by the court. An order of forfeiture must include the date on which the forfeiture becomes effective. If the defendant who failed to appear has been charged with the commission of a gross misdemeanor or felony, a copy of the order must be forwarded to the Office of Court Administrator. The undertaking or money deposited instead of bail bond is forfeited 180 days after the date on which the notice is mailed pursuant to subsection 1.

      3.  The court may extend the date of the forfeiture for any reasonable period set by the court if the surety or depositor submits to the court:

      (a) An application for an extension and the court determines that the surety or the depositor is making reasonable and ongoing efforts to bring the defendant before the court.

      (b) An application for an extension on the ground that the defendant is temporarily prevented from appearing before the court because the defendant:

             (1) Is ill;

             (2) Is insane; or

             (3) Is being detained by civil or military authorities,

Ê and the court, upon hearing the matter, determines that one or more of the grounds described in this paragraph exist and that the surety or depositor did not in any way cause or aid the absence of the defendant.

      (Added to NRS by 1967, 1453; A 1969, 625; 1971, 598; 1979, 1400; 1983, 210; 1987, 1025; 1991, 1015; 1999, 1845; 2003, 2103)