Municipal Offenses are violations of a municipal code, as opposed to violations of a state statute. A person charged with a municipal offense is prosecuted in a city’s municipal court, as opposed to county or district court. The prosecutor of a municipal offense is a City Attorney, rather than a District Attorney. Municipal crimes are misdemeanors and are never felonies. Additionally, procedures in municipal court can be radically different from procedures in county or district court, and successful defense of a municipal court case requires a criminal defense attorney with significant experience resolving municipal matters.
Just because you are charged with a municipal offense, as opposed to a violation of a state statute in county or district court, does not mean that your case may not be serious or does not require the assistance of a competent, dedicated criminal defense attorney. Convictions for municipal offenses can result in jail sentences and have other serious, long-term consequences. If you are on probation in state court, a conviction for a municipal offense likely will result in the revocation of your probation in that case. A conviction for a municipal offense can remain on your permanent criminal record and impact your ability to obtain employment and housing.
Some examples of municipal offenses are: solicitation of prostitution, shoplifting, assault, speeding, false reporting, disorderly conduct, trespassing, and interfering with public officers.
Please note that in a municipal case, a jury trial is not automatically provided and/or made available to the defendant; rather, the defendant must specifically make a demand for a jury trial, and pay a jury trial fee to the court within 10 days of that demand. If you do not pay the jury trial fee, you will only have the option of a trial to the court and not to a jury of your peers.
Denver criminal defense attorney Kimberly Diego has extensive experience aggressively representing clients charged with municipal offenses throughout Colorado. Should you like to discuss your municipal case with Ms. Diego and receive a free case review, contact her at (720) 257-5346.
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