- May 24, 2018 |
- Category: DUI and Courtroom Process
- Category: Past Cases
The Hamilton County Municipal Court is located at 1000 Main Street in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. The municipal court handles criminal and traffic misdemeanor offenses, such as domestic violence, possession of drugs, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and even speeding tickets. The court also has civil jurisdiction over certain cases and claims such as landlord-tenant issues and lawsuits where the amount of damages is less than $15,000. The court has fourteen elected municipal court judges, who handle a huge volume of cases with the assistance of a number of magistrates.
The Hamilton County Municipal Court is one of the largest courts in the state of Ohio, processing around a million cases a year, thousands of which are DUI cases. If you’ve been charged with a criminal misdemeanor or traffic offense in Hamilton County Municipal Court, the case will likely be prosecuted by the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. The County Prosecutor, Joseph Deters, employs over a hundred assistant prosecuting attorneys who are in court on a daily basis. The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office is located at 230 E. Ninth Street, Suite 4000, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
The cases not handled by the county prosecutor will be handled by the City of Cincinnati Prosecutor’s Office. The City Prosecutor is responsible for prosecuting all misdemeanors, including all traffic and criminal cases brought for violation of criminal offenses within the city of Cincinnati. The City Prosecutor handles all cases charged by the Cincinnati Police Department. The City Prosecutor is located at 801 Plum Street, Room 226, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
If you’re charged with a criminal or traffic citation for a misdemeanor offense anywhere in Hamilton County, you can figure out where to go for your initial court appearance by looking at the citation you received from the police. This document should provide you with date, time and location of your first hearing. While most cases will be heard at the downtown location of the Hamilton County Municipal Court, some traffic offenses may be heard in one of Hamilton County Area Courts. One of the area courts is located at the Sharonville City Building, 10900 Reading Rd., Cincinnati, Ohio 45241. Another area court is located at the Hamilton County Justice Center, located at 1000 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Finally, there is an area court located at the Cheviot Municipal Building, 3814 Harrison Ave., Cheviot, Ohio 45211. In addition to these area courts, some municipalities in Hamilton County have a Mayors Court, such as Blue Ash, Montgomery, Lincoln Heights and Sharonville.
If you’ve been charged with a DUI and your case is proceeding through Hamilton County Municipal Court, your initial appearance will likely be held in room 121, on the first floor of the courthouse. In DUI cases, a “not guilty” plea will be tendered at the arraignment and the matter will be referred to the assignment commissioner to schedule a pretrial. You will want to preserve potential issues in the case, if necessary, and obtain driving privileges during your Administrative License Suspension (ALS). If you are successful in obtaining driving privileges, the court will provide you with a document that sets forth the details of your driving privileges, including the days and times you are permitted to drive. The court requires DUI defendants to register their own privileges with the Ohio BMV by taking the paperwork across the street to the BMV, located at 138 East Court Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
If you have a DUI charge pending in Hamilton County Municipal Court, you would be well suited to consider hiring an experienced Cincinnati DUI lawyer. You want to do everything in your power to prevent a DUI conviction from going on your record. Hiring a Hamilton County DUI lawyer is the best way to start. I am passionate about Ohio DUI defense and I get results. If you have a Hamilton County DUI case and want a top DUI lawyer on your team, please give me a call.
