If the charge for which the defendant's appearance was required is dismissed, the offense of violation of promise to appear must also be dismissed.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. It depends on the underlying charge
• D. The law requires automatic dismissal

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that a violation of promise to appear is a separate offense from the underlying charge. The failure to appear (or to comply with a court order) can be punished even if the other charge is later dismissed. So dismissing the underlying charge does not automatically erase the violation of promise to appear. The law treats the failure to appear as its own offense, and a defendant can be charged for that violation regardless of what happens to the original charge.