When a ticket is issued, a court date and time is assigned for the defendant to appear in Municipal Court.
An Arraignment is the first appearance in court and follows the following process:
- Judge calls the name of the defendant
- Defendant approaches the Judge's bench
- Judge reads the charge(s) filed by the City against the defendant.
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Defendant will be asked to plead "Guilty" or "Not Guilty".
- If the defendant does not understand the charge(s), the Judge will explain them upon request.
- "No Contest" or "Alford" pleas are not allowed in Missouri courts.
The charge filed against the defendant may differ from the ticket issued by the police officer. The City Prosecutor, a Missouri licensed attorney, reviews all charges filed with the court and may amend those charges to more accurately reflect the circumstances surrounding the event.
Mandatory Court Appearances
The following violations require a court appearance either in accordance with State Law or by the order of the Municipal Judge:
- DWI/BAC
- Driving with suspended or revoked license
- Failure to provide proof of insurance (if pleading not guilty or providing Proof of Insurance to court)
- Any traffic offense involving an accident regardless of extent of damage
- All non-traffic ordinance violations (for example: stealing, peace disturbance, assault, nuisance violations, etc.)