Can you be arrested for a criminal complaint?

A criminal complaint is an alternative to an arrest; this will still appear on your adult criminal record if the judge or clerk magistrate finds probable cause against you. You do not have to appear in court for a show cause on a criminal complaint but you would have to appear at the second stage which is an arraignment. In Massachusetts, the law states that a defendant has the right to be heard before a clerk or assistant clerk magistrate for misdeanor charges which the police department has filed against them if that police department chose not to arrest. The police department has to prove probable cause at a criminal complaint show cause hearing. The defendant does not have to speak; only evidence such as "I couldn't have committed that crime because I was at court on another hearing at the time of the alleged crime" will be heard...not evidence such as "I only yelled at him, I never hit him" will be heard. This is not a trial where guilt or innocence is found.