Did you receive a citation to appear in Mecklenburg County Courtroom 1130? Courtroom 1130, also referred to as first appearance court, is an administrative criminal court that handles misdemeanor and traffic cases. There are no trials held in this courtroom. Instead, this is where many cases are handled before they are required to go to district court. To handle the high volume of misdemeanor and traffic cases in Mecklenburg County, the state attempts to do the following in courtroom 1130: 1. Reduce traffic tickets at the discretion of an assistant district attorney 2. Accept pleas of guilty 3. Set trial dates when the defendant pleads not guilty 4. Advises defendants of their rights to a court appoint attorney 5. Provides defendants with options for enrollment in diversion programs such as defensive driving school, drug education school, deferred prosecution, worthless check program, and the dispute settlement program. If you have received a citation and are required to appear in courtroom 1130, it is highly advisable that you seek the assistance of a criminal defense attorney. If you would like to schedule a free consultation with a criminal defense attorney, please contact Adkins Law. Adkins Law is located in Huntersville and primarily serves Mecklenburg County and the greater Charlotte area. An underage drinking ticket in Mecklenburg County may have serious implications on your future. A police officer may issue a drinking ticket to an underage person if they have probable cause that the underage person has any amount of alcohol in their system, no matter how little. Typically, the officer will administer an Alcosensor breath test to the teenager. This instrument is able to give the officer a reading of how much, if any, alcohol is in the teenager’s system. Any positive results on the Alcosensor may be enough is issue a drinking citation to a teenager. Even if the police officer doesn’t use an Alcosensor, all the police officer needs to establish probable cause is observation. If the police officer can testify that a teenager appeared to be under the influence of alcohol because they were unstable on their feet, had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and / or the odor of alcohol on the breath and person, the police officer has enough evidence to issue a citation, or make an arrest, for underage drinking. If you were issued a citation for underage drinking, it is highly recommended that you consult with a criminal lawyer. A lawyer may be able to negotiate a deal with the state to have your charges dismissed. Typically, a teenager charged with underage drinking is eligible to complete a drug education school to receive this dismissal. A lawyer will be able to appear in court on your behalf and negotiate this without you ever having to go to court. Once the class has been completed and you have received a dismissal, you need to speak with your criminal attorney about obtaining an expunction. If you’re eligible, an expunction will erase all records of you having been charged with the offense. This is very important for teenagers applying to colleges and seeking jobs. If you would like to speak with a criminal attorney concerning an underage drinking ticket in Mecklenburg County, contact Adkins Law. Adkins Law is located in Huntersville, and primarily serves Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and the Lake Norman area. This is a common question: Do I have to come to court? In most cases, if you are represented by an attorney, you may waive your court appearance for your traffic ticket. Instead, your attorney appears on your behalf, handles your matter, and you never have to appear. Not having to miss work or school is a huge reason to hire a traffic lawyer to handle your traffic ticket. Not only may this save you money, more importantly, it saves you time. I’ve included the statute below, which authorizes waiver of appearance. § 15A-1011. Pleas in district and superior courts; waiver of appearance. (a) A defendant may plead not guilty, guilty, or no contest "(nolo contendere)." A plea may be received only from the defendant himself in open court except when:
(b) A defendant may plead no contest only with the consent of the prosecutor and the presiding judge. (c) Upon entry of a plea of guilty or no contest or after conviction on a plea of not guilty, the defendant may request permission to enter a plea of guilty or no contest as to other crimes with which he is charged in the same or another prosecutorial district as defined in G.S. 7A-60. A defendant may not enter any plea to crimes charged in another prosecutorial district as defined in G.S. 7A-60 unless the district attorney of that district consents in writing to the entry of such plea. The prosecutor or his representative may appear in person or by filing an affidavit as to the nature of the evidence gathered as to these other crimes. Entry of a plea under this subsection constitutes a waiver of venue. A superior court is granted jurisdiction to accept the plea, upon an appropriate indictment or information, even though the case may otherwise be within the exclusive original jurisdiction of the district court. A district court may accept pleas under this section only in cases within the original jurisdiction of the district court and in cases within the concurrent jurisdiction of the district and superior courts pursuant to G.S. 7A-272(c). (d) A defendant may execute a written waiver of appearance and plead not guilty and designate legal counsel to appear in his behalf in the following circumstances:
(e) In the event the judge shall permit the procedure set forth in the foregoing subsection (d), the State may offer evidence and the defendant may offer evidence, with right of cross-examination of witnesses, and the other procedures, including the right of the prosecutor to dismiss the charges, shall be the same as in any other criminal case, except for the absence of defendant. If you need legal advice regarding a traffic citation and would like to speak with a traffic lawyer at a law firm in Huntersville NC, please contact Adkins Law for a free traffic consultation. Adkins Law is located in Huntersville and primarily serves Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and the Lake Norman area.
Did you get a traffic ticket in Mecklenburg County? Traffic tickets, especially moving violations such as speeding tickets, can be very expensive. The true cost of your traffic ticket is much more than your fine. Not only will you be assessed court costs, which are way more expensive that the fine itself, but your insurance rates will typically increase. If you get a speeding ticket in Mecklenburg County, you can expect to have points assessed against your insurance. These points are different than the points that are assessed against your driver’s license. Depending on your driving record, a traffic lawyer in Mecklenburg County may be able to have your speeding ticket reduced to a non-moving violation. A non-moving violation, such as improper equipment, prevents your insurance rates from increasing because no points are assessed against your insurance. Although the court costs and fines associated with an improper equipment violation are currently $263.00 in Mecklenburg County, preventing your insurance rates from increasing will save you hundreds of dollars or more over the long term. Plus, this keeps points off your insurance in the case of future traffic violations. If you got a traffic ticket in Mecklenburg County, contact Adkins Law PLLC for a free traffic consultation with a traffic lawyer. Adkins Law is located in Huntersville and primarily serves Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County. Did you get a traffic ticket in Cornelius NC? With the road construction going on recently around I-77, it isn’t hard to do. The construction has caused severe traffic problems and delays in the area. In order to avoid the traffic problems, many people have made illegal turns, u-turns, red light, and stop sign violations. As a matter of fact, the Cornelius Police have been targeting the construction area near I-77 to issue traffic tickets. It’s quite easy to get frustrated waiting in traffic and make an unlawful, or what is perceived as unlawful, movement in order to escape the traffic. Should you hire a traffic lawyer to handle your traffic ticket in Cornelius NC? Traffic lawyers in Cornelius NC may assist you in a number of ways. First, many traffic tickets are moving violations, which lead to license and insurance points. Additional points on your license and insurance will cause your insurance rates to increase. This costs money. Instead of paying off a traffic ticket or attempting to handle the ticket yourself, consider hiring a traffic lawyer in Cornelius NC. A traffic lawyer can save you money by attempting to get your moving violation turned into a non-moving violation. Hiring a traffic ticket in Cornelius NC will also, often times, prevent you from having to go to court in Charlotte NC. Having to attend court means spending the better part of a day in Charlotte away from work. This can be frustrating and confusing. Thus, if you get a traffic ticket or traffic citation in Cornelius NC, consider hiring a traffic lawyer. Not only will your traffic lawyer attempt to get you a better deal, they will often save you an abundance of money in the long-term. If you are in need of a traffic lawyer in Cornelius NC, Huntersville NC, Davidson NC, or the Lake Norman area, contact Adkins Law PLLC. Adkins Law is located in Huntersville NC and serves the Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Charlotte area. Although the practice focuses on representation in Mecklenburg County, Adkins Law PLLC also represents individuals in Iredell County, Gaston County, Cabarrus County, and Rowan County. Please contact Adkins Law if you require assistance in handling a traffic citation or if you would like to speak directly to a traffic ticket lawyer. |
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