124 S. Market Street Van
Wert, Ohio - Phone (419) 238-5767
 Van Wert Municipal Court is
responsible for adult misdemeanor cases within Van Wert County, along with civil
actions under $15,000. Many of the traffic and criminal cases are brought to the court by local
law enforcement officers. Other cases are filed by individuals through the law
director's office.
Misdemeanor cases are often resolved through a "guilty waiver" or by posting a bond
prior to an assigned court date. Credit cards are accepted. This is done through the Waiver Bureau at the Court
Office on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or after hours at the Van Wert Police Dispatch
Center. The court office is located off the right side of the waiting room, inside the
front door of the Municipal Court building.
Arraignments are normally held on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.
Prior to arraignments, defendants wait within the waiting room prior to being called
into the courtroom, where they enter through the rear door. A plea of guilty or not
guilty or no contest is made at the arraignment. Prior to these pleas, the court
explains each one, including how the pleas of guilty and no contest give up certain
individual rights. A "not guilty plea" or request to consult an
attorney will continue the case into an
additional hearing(s).
In certain cases, whether or not the defendant is held for bond is also a topic of the
court. Depending on the circumstances, a crime victim may be called upon for input
prior to the determination of bond. A resource that some victims of violent crime
choose to consider is Van Wert County Victim Services.
A pretrial hearing is often the next step after a not-guilty plea. It is common for the
defendant's attorney and the law director to meet with the court to work out a solution to
a case. If a pretrial hearing does not resolve the case, then the case is routinely
scheduled for a trial, where the defendant is given an opportunity to face his accusers.
**Outside links not associated with this website
|
