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Public Safety - Municipal Court Dan Trent, City Prosecutor Juli Hurley, Court Clerk The Bonner Springs Municipal Court is held at the Community Center, 200 E. Third on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Typically, trials are in the afternoon at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and arraignments at 7:30 p.m. Please check your summons to verify your appearance date and time. Frequently Asked Questions Q. How and where do I pay my ticket? A. Your ticket can be paid at the Police Department, 120 N. Nettleton, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. Payments are accepted with cash, check, or credit card (MasterCard and Visa only). If you need to call in your credit card payment, you may use 1-888-604-7888, 24 hours, 7 days a week. American Express, Discover, Visa, and MasterCard are accepted using this number. You may also pay your ticket by clicking on www.bonnerspringstix.com . There is a minor fee for this service. Q. Can I get a continuance? A. You may be granted one continuance without a court appearance. Thereafter, you must come to court and speak to either the Judge or City Prosecutor. Q. I have not paid my ticket and my court date is today, what should I do? A. If you haven't paid your ticket before your court date, you must come to court. Q. Can I have an attorney represent me? A. In all cases in Municipal Court, you have a right to representation by an attorney. If you have been charged with an offense that may result in jail time as part of the sentence, and you want an attorney but cannot afford one, an attorney will be appointed for you. The Court will only appoint an attorney if you are indigent and there is a possibility you may go to jail. You will be asked to fill out a financial statement regarding your income and expenses, and the judge will either approve or disapprove the appointment of counsel. Q. Do I need an attorney to plead "not guilty" or "no contest"? A. No. The decision to be represented by an attorney is entirely up to you. You have the right to represent yourself in any proceedings. This is called Pro Se representation. Q. Can I get my ticket amended? A. You must talk to the City Prosecutor about amending the charge on your court date. The City Prosecutor does not amend citations where the defendant is speeding more than 20 mph over the speed limit. The City Prosecutor also does not amend school or construction zone citations. Q. What is an arraignment? A. Arraignment is that session of court in which you, the defendant, enter a plea to the charge against you. You may enter one of three pleas “Guilty”, “No Contest” or “Not Guilty”. Pleading "guilty" means you admit to committing the act charged, that the act is prohibited by law, and that you had no defense for the act. Before entering a plea of guilty, you should know that the City has the burden of proving its case against you. Pleading "no contest" means you do not wish to contest the City's charge. Upon a plea of no contest, the judge will enter a finding of guilty and order a fine, jail time or other appropriate sentence. A plea of no contest is not an admission of fault and can't be used against you in a civil suit for damages. Pleading "not guilty" means you deny guilt and that the City must prove its charges. On a plea of not guilty, a trial is held and the City is required to prove, "beyond a reasonable doubt", all of the allegations against you in the complaint. Q. Can I have a jury trial? A.. No. You do not have the right to have your case tried before a jury in Municipal Court. Q. Can I call my own witnesses? A. You have the right to have the court issue subpoenas for witnesses to ensure their appearance at trial. However, you must furnish names, addresses and telephone numbers of these witnesses to the court as quickly as possible so they can be located and subpoenas served no later than 10 days before the scheduled date of your trial. At the trial, the City Prosecutor will call witnesses to testify against you. After each prosecution witness testifies, you have a right to cross-examine each witness. After the prosecution has presented its case, you have the right to call any witness on your behalf. City of Bonner Springs |
