CHAPTER 174

An Act to amend and reenact § 46-198 as amended, of the Code of
Virginia, relating to the arrest for misdemeanor under certain cir-
cumstances, release on summons and promise to appear subsequent
thereto, and the penalty for violation thereof. rH 360]

6

Approved March 6, 1954

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 46-193 as amended of the Code of Virginia be amended and
reenacted as follows:

§ 46-1938. Whenever any person is arrested for a violation of any
provision of this title punishable as a misdemeanor the arresting officer
shall, except as otherwise provided in § 46-194, take the name and
address of such person and the license number of his motor vehicle and
issue a summons or otherwise notify him in writing to appear at a time
and place to be specified in such summons or notice, such time to be at
least five days after such arrest unless the person arrested shall demand
an earlier hearing, and such person shall, if he so desires, have a right
to an immediate hearing or a hearing within twenty-four hours at a
convenient hour, and before a court having jurisdiction under this title
within the city, town or county wherein such offense was committed.
Such officer shall thereupon and upon the giving by such person of his
written promise to appear at such time and place forthwith release him
from custody.

Any person refusing to give such written promise to appear shall
be taken immediately by the arresting or other police officer before the
nearest or most accessible * judicial officer or other person qualified to
admit to bail having jurisdiction under this title.

Any person who wilfully violates his written promise to appear,
given in accordance with this section, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor,
regardless of the disposition of, and in addition to, the charge upon which
he was originally arrested.

Any officer violating any of the provisions of this section shall be
guilty of misconduct in office and subject to removal therefrom upon
complaint filed by any person in a court of competent jurisdiction.
An Act to amend and reenact § 17-27 of the Code of Virginia, relating
to the drawing up, reading and signing of certain court bara A

Approved March 6, 1954
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

ae That § 17-27 of the Code of Virginia be amended and reenacted as
follows:

§ 17-27. The proceedings of every court shall be entered in a book
kept for the purpose to be known as the order book. * After being cor-
rected when it is necessary the record shall be signed by the presiding
judge. In the event of the judge of a court dying without having signed
all of the orders or decrees endorsed by him for entry and entered in
the order books of the court by the clerk thereof, it shall be lawful for
either the judge appointed to fill the vacancy caused by such death or any
judge appointed to preside over the court until such vacancy is filled to
sign such of the orders or decrees so entered of record as had not been
signed by the judge who endorsed them for entry; and when so signed,
they shall be of the same force and effect as if they had been signed by
such judge in his lifetime.