Section 39-16-609 - Failure to appear(a) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly fail to appear as directed by a lawful authority if the person:(1) Has been lawfully issued a criminal summons pursuant to § 40-6-215;(2) Has been lawfully commanded to appear for booking and processing pursuant to a criminal summons issued in accordance with § 40-6-215;(3) Has been lawfully issued a citation in lieu of arrest under § 40-7-118;(4) Has been lawfully released from custody, with or without bail, on condition of subsequent appearance at an official proceeding or penal institution at a specified time or place; or(5) Knowingly goes into hiding to avoid prosecution or court appearance.(b) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that:(1) The appearance is required by a probation and parole officer as an incident of probation or parole supervision; or(2) The person had a reasonable excuse for failure to appear at the specified time and place.(c) Nothing in this section shall apply to witnesses.(d) Failure to appear is a Class A misdemeanor.(e) Any sentence received for a violation of this section must be ordered to be served consecutively to any sentence received for the offense for which the defendant failed to appear.(f) [Deleted by 2019 amendment.]Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 486,s 4, eff. 7/1/2019.Acts 1989, ch. 591, § 1; 1990, ch. 709, § 1; 1990, ch. 980, § 16; 1997, ch. 317, § 1; 1998, ch. 1049, § 15; 2004, ch. 727, § 1.