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Tuesday, Mar 10, 2009 |
| Haslet Municipal Court in Session at 6:00 P.M. on Tuesday, March 10, 2009. If you plan to attend and have a disability that requires special arrangements, please contact our office at 817-439-5931. |
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Tuesday, Apr 14, 2009 |
| Haslet Municipal Court in Session at 6:00 P.M. on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. If you plan to attend and have a disability that requires special arrangements, please contact our office at 817-439-5931. |
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Monday, Apr 27, 2009 |
****NOTICE - JURY TRIAL HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR APRIL 27, 2009.****
Haslet Municipal Court in Session at 6:00 P.M. on Monday April 27, 2009. If you plan to attend and have a disability that requires special arrangements, please contact our office at 817-439-5931. |
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| Violations & Citations |
Cases that are filed in Haslet Municipal Court include traffic violations, Class C misdemeanors, and violations of city ordinances.
* Traffic Violations include moving and non-moving violations, commercial vehicle violations, failure to maintain financial responsibility violations, no driver's license, etc.
* Class C Misdemeanors (crimes punishable by a maximum fine of $500.00) include public intoxication, theft (less than $50.00), disorderly conduct, minors in possession of alcohol or tobacco, drug paraphernalia, etc.
* Violations of City Ordinances include violations of park curfews, environmental violations (pollution, land-development violations, health and safety violations associated with food service establishments, and accumulating rubbish), code violations, animal violations, etc.
Cases that are not filed in Haslet Municipal Court include civil cases, Class A or B misdemeanors, and felonies. |
| Your Rights |
| If you were issued a citation, your appearance date noted on the citation is your deadline date to make your request to have your case set for court. Your request for a court date must be made in person, or in writing via fax, mail or e-mail prior to your deadline date. You cannot set a court date over the telephone. If you are 16 years of age or younger the law requires that you appear in court with a parent or legal guardian before the judge. Please disregard the deadline date listed on the actual citation because the court will automatically schedule you a court date and you will receive notice of said court date through the mail at the address you provided. If you have been released on bond, your court date is automatically scheduled by the court and you will receive notice of said court date through the mail at the address you provided. If you do not receive a court date within two (2) weeks please call the Court. Questions regarding your citation should be directed to the Municipal Court at (817) 439-5931. |
| Pleas |
Once your case has been scheduled for court, you must decide upon and enter a plea to the charge against you. By signing the citation in front of an officer, you did not plead guilty, but only signed a promise to appear in court. There are three possible pleas to a complaint:
1. Guilty;
2. Nolo Contendere (No Contest); and
3. Not Guilty
Your decision on what plea to enter is very important. We suggest that you read the following explanations of all three pleas before entering your plea.
Plea Of Guilty
By pleading guilty, you admit that you committed the act charged, that the act is prohibited by law, and that you have no defense for your actions. Before entering your plea of guilty, you need to understand the following:
1. The State has the burden of proving its case against you. You have the right to hear the State's evidence and to require it to prove its case. If it does not, the law does not require you to prove anything.
2. If you were involved in a traffic accident, or other incident involving possible Civil Liability, at the time of the alleged offense, your plea of guilty could be used later in a civil suit for damages as an admission by you that you were at fault or were the party responsible for the accident or incident. You are advised to consult with an attorney if you have any questions or need further advise.
Plea of Nolo Contendere
A plea of nolo contendere, also known as no contest, simply means that you do not wish to contest the State's charge against you, but wish to talk to the Judge about mitigating circumstances. Judgment will be entered by the Municipal Judge and a fine may be set.
Plea of Not Guilty
A plea of not guilty means that you are informing the Court that you deny guilt and that the State must prove its charges against you. If you plead not guilty, your case will be scheduled for the next available trial date. You will need to decide whether you want a Jury Trial or a Non-Jury (Bench) Trial, and to employ an attorney to represent you at trial. Only you or a licensed attorney may defend your case in court.
If you represent yourself, please be advised that this Court is a court of record. All proceedings will be conducted according to the rules of criminal procedure and the rules of evidence. If you choose to represent yourself, you must be prepared. The court staff, bailiff, prosecuting attorney or judge cannot provide legal advice or legal assistance in the presentation of your case.
Under our American system of justice, you are presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty. On a plea of not guilty, a formal trial will be scheduled. In a criminal trial, the State is required to prove your guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" of the offense charged in the complaint before you can be found guilty by a judge or jury. |
| Fines and Payments |
| The amount of fine the court assesses is determined only by the facts and circumstances of the case. Mitigating circumstance may lower the fine even if you are guilty. On the other hand, aggravating circumstances may increase the fine. Court costs are assessed if you are found guilty of an offense. State law mandates the court costs. The court costs vary according to the offense. |
| Deferred Disposition |
Deferred Disposition is one of the options to keep your citation from being reported to the Department of Public Safety. With a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, you may be eligible for probation or deferred disposition of your case. If you and the offense you are charged with are eligble for deferred disposition, you will be placed on a ninety (90) to one-hundred-eighty (180) day probation period.
Certain violations are not eligible to receive deferred disposition without appearing before the Judge. As a condition of deferred disposition, you must not receive another citation in the City of Haslet during the probationary period. Other conditions may be imposed for your probation by the Judge at the time you are placed on probation. At the conclusion of the probation period, providing you complete your probation period as ordered, the Municipal Court will dismiss the citation. These dismissals will not be reported to the Texas Department of Public Safety. |
| Juveniles |
Municipal Court has jurisdiction over all juveniles, ages 16 and younger, who are charged with most Class C misdemeanor offenses.
* All juvenile offenders are required to appear in open court for all proceedings in their cases along with a parent or legal guardian, as required by State law
* Failure of a parent or legal guardian to appear with a juvenile constitutes a separate misdemeanor offense by the parent or guardian
* Juveniles who fail to appear in court may have an additional charge of Failure to Appear filed against them
* Juveniles who fail to appear or who fail to comply with the orders of the Judge will be reported to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which may result in a suspension of their driver's license or disqualify them from obtaining a driver's license until the citation is resolved
* Minors, ages 17 to 20, charged with an alcohol or tobacco offense must appear in open court.
Juveniles have the option to request from the Judge a Driver's Safety Class, Deferred Disposition and Teen Court as a way to keep their citation from their record. |
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