A municipal court is a court with small area of authority over criminal offenses and civil disputes inside its area. These courts can be located at the city or county tier.
Chetopa Municipal Court INformation
Court: Chetopa Municipal Court
Address: “332 Maple Street, Chetopa, KS 67336”
Phone: 620-236-7541
City: Chetopa
County: Labette
State: Kansas
What is the role of the Chetopa Municipal Court?
Municipal Courts are often called “courts of limited jurisdiction.” This means that they deal with minor criminal charges, civil matters, and traffic matters. Courts like Chetopa Municipal Court are the first level of court for these types of cases.
In other situations, the purpose of a county court is to deal with a large number of civil disputes within the respective region. Most cases involve divorce or other family matters, personal injury cases, more serious criminal infractions, or breaches of contract.
County courthouses have the jurisdiction to deal with misdemeanors and civil matters that won’t exceed the amount of $15k, while the circuits courts handle felony cases and larger civil cases.
TYPES OF CASES seen IN A MUNICIPAL COURT in Chetopa, Kansas
Municipal courts are the lowest level of courthouses in the United States. They are usually found within the jurisdiction where they are located, but some jurisdictions share municipal courts with other municipalities.
This can be done to better help their citizens or to save money on administrative costs. The cases that will be heard by a municipal court depend on the municipality, but typically include traffic crimes, criminal misdemeanors and code violations.
You will not find a standard for what constitutes a misdemeanor crime versus a felony crime, but generally speaking felonies would require more time in jail than misdemeanors and fines may also be higher for felonies. Traffic violations usually result in points against your driver’s license as well
How are cases handled in the municipal court in Chetopa?
Judges preside over hearings to determine:
- Probable cause for arrest
- Set bail amounts and the conditions of release
- Conduct arraignment hearings when charges are filed against suspects by police officers
- Issue search warrants to law enforcement officers in order to protect evidence from crime locations
- start preliminary examinations to understand if there is enough evidence to issue a charge
The common process of a Municipal Court matter
First Step: An Issuance of Summons
Step Two: Show Up before Judge or Magistrate
Municipal Court Penalties in Chetopa, KS
Penalties change often, which is why it’s good to speak with licensed attorney. The information below represents common penalties, but may not be 100% accurate for the Chetopa Municipal Court.
A violation is a crime that carries a penalty of $500 or less, while a misdemeanor charge can have penalties up to $1k or one year in local jail. A person’s driving privileges may be suspended for six months if they receive three speeding tickets within 12 months.
The penalties for different crimes in municipal courthouses vary depending on the severity of an crimes. For example, if you are caught with marijuana without having a license for it then you will be fined up to $2k or spend up to six months in jail.
Chetopa Municipal Court Records
Municipal Court records from a municipal government could be difficult to find because they are not always stored in one area or system. The records that an individual might need to depend on the type of matter they have before the court, what stage it is at in the process, and what kind of of information is required by law to be present.
Questions ABOUT the Chetopa Municipal Court
What is municipal court in Chetopa, Kansas?
In Kansas, the municipal court is a lower court with civil and criminal jurisdiction within a city or municipality. Municipal courts will have a small jurisdiction and have limited authority as well, dealing only with petty offenses and misdemeanors.
What does the municipal court handle in Chetopa, Kansas?
Depending on the size of the municipality, a municipal court can handle a civil division (cases with less than $15,000 at issue), a traffic/criminal division, or a housing and environmental division. More serious cases/crimes are deal with by higher authorities.
How many judges does the Chetopa Municipal Court have?
The number of judges depends on the municipality’s population.
How are cases heard in municipal courts in Kansas?
A municipal court judge may be either elected or appointed to serve for a set duration or until they retire. Judges are commonly chosen by the people with each precinct’s results judged according to population. Municipal magistrates are often not lawyers but have some legal education and must complete multiple hours of ongoing material every period to maintain their credentials.