Montgomery County 38-1-07 Magisterial District Court
Driving with a suspended license, shoplifting jewelry or clothing from a retail store, running a red light, and loitering can all land you a day in front of a judge in a Montgomery County Magisterial District Court. If your day is fast approaching, it is likely that you feel anxious.
In order to get the best outcome, you need an experienced defense attorney to represent you. You need the attorney to examine the evidence and build a defense strategy that can either help to have the charges against you dropped or lessened. Working with an experienced attorney also means that you can have all of your questions answered now. This will ease some of the anxiety that you are feeling. We have handled hundreds of cases in Magisterial Courts here in Pennsylvania. Our lawyers at Amato Sanita Law Offices will work hard to provide you with the best defense.
Learn More about Magisterial District Courts in Montgomery County
Throughout Montgomery County, there are 30 Magisterial District Courts. Receiving of notice from Court 38-1-07 means that you will need to appear before Michael Sam Quinn, Magisterial District Judge, in Ardmore. This is true no matter if you will visit this court for a non-jury trial, bench warrant, traffic citation, non-traffic citation, or a preliminary arraignment or hearing for a criminal charge.
Magisterial District Courts in Montgomery County hear all cases related to summary offences. Summary offences include both traffic and non-traffic citations. Shoplifting is a summary offense if the item that a person stolen was valued at under $150 and it was the person’s first offence. Other summary offences include loitering, graffiti, mischief, harassment, disturbing the public, public drunkenness, and underage drinking. Summary offences are the lowest level offenses in the state of Pennsylvania.
Judges in the Magisterial District Courts will also listen to disputes between landlords and tenants that are valued at under $8,000. Damage claims up to $12,000 are presided over in these courts. These judges also have the ability to perform marriages or administer oaths.
Seek Legal Representation before Your Day in an Ardmore Courtroom
When a person receives a notification from Magisterial District Court 38-1-07 for a summary offence, they may pay a fine that is up to $300. It is also possible that for even the lowest level offences a person could spend up to 90 days in jail if it is their first offence and nearly six months in jail if they have prior convictions.
Some individuals have the idea that they will just plead guilty to a summary offence and hope they can put the whole thing behind them. This type of thinking is short-sighted. This thinking fails to take into consideration the fact that serving up to 90 days in jail could do some serious damage to their life. You may not have employment waiting for you after spending time in jail. You may have a criminal record that will be stuck with you for many years or even the rest of your life. You may lose your driver’s license.
A criminal defense attorney will be able to build a case to prove your innocence or to find a way to get the charges against you dropped. For example, driving with a suspended license may mean that you will have to pay a fine or spend time in jail. Our lawyers may be able to use defenses that involve proving that you did not receive the proper notification of a suspended license or that you were driving because of an emergency.
Our lawyers at Amato Sanita Law Offices are familiar with the justice system and know how to navigate Pennsylvania Magisterial District Courts. They will provide you with sound advice that will help you now and in the courtroom. It is never a good idea to simply plead guilty to a charge. Even traffic violations should be contested.
