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Juvenile court typically takes place one Thursday evening each month.  When a juvenile is issued a ticket, a court date is not immediately set.  Instead, a court notice will be sent to the address of record indicating the time and place of the hearing.  For juvenile cases, a parent/guardian must be present in order for the case to progress.

 

Upon arrival, you will be asked to check in with our court worker.  Cases will be called in the order of arrival, with the possibility of exceptions as deemed appropriate by the court.

 

The defendant will be asked to make a plea (guilty, not guilty, or no contest).  If you plead not guilty, the Judge will order you to attend a pre-trial conference with the city attorney (please see pre-trial conference information). 

 

If you plead either guilty or no contest, the Judge will discuss his recommendations for sentence.  For juveniles, this may include the opportunity to take part in a First Offender’s Program and/or a Community Service element as the Judge’s discretion.

 

If you fail to appear for a court hearing and have not contacted the court, you will be found guilty by default.  As a result, a default judgment will be sent to you by mail.  If you are not compliant with the imposed sentence, you may face additional consequences.