The jurisdiction of the Delaware County Municipal Court.

The jurisdiction of the Delaware County Municipal Court includes traffic offenses and other misdemeanors that occur countywide in all cities, villages and localities within Delaware County. This includes traffic tickets issued in Delaware County for violations of the Ohio Revised Code, and also traffic tickets issued in the City of Delaware for violations of the Delaware Codified Ordinances.

Traffic tickets filed in the Delaware County Municipal Court may include charges like speeding, improper turn, disregarding a stop sign, etc. Whether a traffic ticket is filed in the Delaware County Municipal Court as opposed to a given Mayor’s Court will depend on factors like the law enforcement agency of the officer who issued the traffic ticket, the nature of the traffic ticket, and whether the charge was for a violation of a municipal ordinance or the corresponding Ohio Revised Code.

Traffic matters pending in any Mayor’s Court in Delaware County may be transferred to the Delaware County Municipal Court. Additionally, final judgments of traffic matters in any such Mayor’s Court in Delaware County may be appealed to the Delaware County Municipal Court.

The arraignment schedule in the Delaware County Municipal Court.

Arraignments in the Delaware County Municipal Court are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, except legal holidays, starting at 8:00 a.m. If a given traffic citation is not resolved at arraignment, then another court date and time will be set. The Delaware County Municipal Court convenes every day of the week, except legal holidays.

The judges who preside over this court are the Honorable David P. Sunderman and the Honorable Marianne T. Hemmeter. The Clerk of Court is Cindy Dinovo. The Clerk of Court handles all court documents and payments to the court. If you have a traffic ticket pending in the Delaware County Municipal Court, then you may access information about your case by pressing the link to the court’s online portal here.

The legal process in the Delaware County Municipal Court.

The Delaware County Municipal Court is a court of record. The court has authority to conduct jury trials. However, the right to a jury trial does not extend to minor misdemeanors. Nor does the right to a jury trial extend to other violations for which the potential penalty does not include the possibility of a prison term or jail term and for which the possible fine does not exceed one thousand dollars.

As to matters pending in the Delaware County Municipal Court, there will be an arraignment, during which the charges are read and a plea is entered. The plea may be “not guilty,” “guilty” or “no contest.” If the matter is not resolved with a plea agreement, then there will be a trial before the judge. The judge will make rulings on evidentiary objections and other legal matters. If the matter does not include charges for which the right to jury trial attaches, then the judge also is the finder of fact. This means that, like a jury, the judge will determine guilt or innocence. If the matter includes charges for which the right to jury trial attaches, then a defendant may elect to have a judge or a jury determine his or her guilt or innocence. If a defendant is found to be guilty, then the judge will determine the ultimate sentence or outcome of the case.

Call a traffic lawyer to discuss your traffic ticket in the Delaware County Municipal Court.

For legal assistance with your traffic ticket in the Delaware Municipal Court, contact us at 614.695.5000 or online. Frequently a lawyer can appear in court and resolve a traffic case in the client’s absence, provided both the court and the prosecutor agree. This saves the client the aggravation of taking time off from work, fighting traffic to get to court on time, waiting for potentially hours for the case to be called, standing in long lines, and potentially having to do it all over again if the case is continued.