A subpoena will be issued directing you to appear in court on a specific day and time for the purpose of testifying. If you refuse to appear after the subpoena is delivered to you, the prosecutor will ask that a warrant (called “an attachment”) be issued for your arrest and confinement in jail until you testify in your case, whenever that may be. Further, willful failure to obey a lawful order of a court, such as a subpoena, is an act of contempt for which you may be punished by the court. After all of that, you will still have to testify.
When you testify, you must testify truthfully. Giving false testimony as to important facts while under oath in an official proceeding (such as a trial) is a very serious felony offense.
