If you have been charged with a misdemeanor crime or cited for a traffic offense within the jurisdiction of the Verde Valley Justice Court, it is important to understand how cases like yours are handled in order to prepare for your upcoming court date. A skilled Verde Valley criminal defense attorney from Steven George Law can assist you in securing a favorable outcome. Facing traffic crime or misdemeanor charges can be overwhelming, but with an experienced attorney on your side it is possible to have your charges reduced to a lesser offense or even entirely dismissed.

Verde Valley Justice Court Contact Information

Verde Valley Justice Court is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The court is closed on holidays. If you have a court date scheduled, you must appear at the following address:

Verde Valley Justice Court
10 South 6th Street
Cottonwood, AZ 86326

You can reach the courthouse by calling 928-639-5820

The following information is about how Verde Valley Justice Court handles certain types of offenses, your individual rights, and what you can expect from your court appearance.

What Happens When You Receive a Traffic Ticket or Misdemeanor Charge in Verde Valley

The Verde Valley Justice Court handles civil traffic offenses, criminal misdemeanors, criminal traffic offenses, harassment injunctions/orders of protection, juvenile offenses and petty offenses committed within its jurisdiction. If you have recently received a citation for a traffic offense, or if you have misdemeanor charges and have been ordered to appear in Verde Valley Justice Court, you will have received a court date and time on your citation or summons.

If you have been issued a traffic citation the following information is important to you.

It is recommended that you bring the following items with you if you appear in person at the counter or in court for a hearing or trial.
Citation you were issued
Arizona driver’s license
Registration
Proof of insurance

Civil Traffic Citations

There are four different options for responding to a civil traffic citation. You must notify the court of your choice by the date on the citation, or you will need to appear. Failure to do so may result in a warrant being issued for your arrest and/or suspension of your driver’s license, a monetary default judgment (could be sent to collections or be subject to a tax interception), and a late payment fee.

1.Defensive Driving School Option

If you attend the defensive driving school, your citation will be dismissed and will not go on your driving record.

Eligibility to attend Defensive Driving School is as follows:

Most minor moving violations which did not result in death or serious injury.
You have not attended any Defensive Driving School for complaint dismissal in the last 12 months from the date of the last violation.
You do not possess a current commercial driver’s license.

The cost to attend Defensive Driving School is approximately $220. Prices may vary. Please contact the school of your choice for current price. For a list of certified schools, call 1-888-334-5565 or visit /www.azcourts.gov/driveschoolinfo .

2.Deny Responsibility and Request a Hearing

You may request a hearing by completing and mailing or emailing the Civil Traffic Plea(PDF, 240KB) form to the court. Be sure to check the box “I deny responsibility.”

You will be notified by mail of your assigned hearing date.
You must appear on that date and be ready to present evidence and examine witnesses.
If you fail to appear, a judgment of responsible will be entered.

3.Pay the Fine

You may admit responsibility by paying the fine. You will not be required to appear in court. To know the amount of the fine click here (PDF, 71KB). If you wish to pay your fine in person, the Verde Valley Justice Court will accept payments in the form of money orders, checks, credit cards and cash. Please note that if you are paying by cash, only exact cash will be accepted. The court does not return change.

You may also pay your fine online at azcourtpay.com. Please note that some violations such as Proof of Registration and No Proof of Insurance cannot be paid online.

If you are required to pay fines, penalties, fees or other financial obligations as a result of a judgment of this court and you are unable to pay, bring this information to the attention of court staff or the judge because payments over time or other alternatives may be available. Do not ignore your responsibility to pay, as this may result in additional penalties and costs to you. For more information contact the court or an attorney or visit the following website AZCourtHelp.org.

4.Request a dismissal of the charge or reduction in penalty

If your charge is eligible, you may request the court to dismiss your charge or reduce the penalty. You must complete the Civil Traffic Plea(PDF, 240KB) form and submit supporting documentation seven (7) days prior to your appearance date on the citation. If your request is not granted, you are still responsible for taking other action on or before your appearance date.

Criminal Citations

If the offense on your citation/ticket is listed as a criminal violation, you must appear in court at the date and time specified on your citation.

Do not ignore your citation. If you fail to properly respond to your citation, you license may be suspended, additional charges may be added for failure to appear, and a warrant for your arrest may be issued.

Court Appearances

It is very important to be on time for your court appearance. Be sure to allow ample time for traffic and parking.

Your appearance and conduct are important when coming to court. All persons present in the courtroom shall be clean, neat and dressed in an appropriate manner, and conduct themselves in a respectful manner. Upon entering the courthouse, visitors are required to pass through metal detectors and items brought into the courthouse must go through X-ray machines. No weapons are allowed in the Court building. You should observe appropriate standards of attire. While clothing need not be formal, it should be clean, neat and in good repair. Shoes and shirts must be worn, and T-shirts which carry offensive slogans or pictures are not allowed. Hats should be removed before entering the court building.

Arraignment in Verde Valley Justice Court

If you have been cited for a criminal misdemeanor offense, you must appear at the Verde Valley Justice Court on the designated court date and time. At a criminal arraignment, you are advised of the charges pending against you. If you plead guilty or are found guilty, all fines assessed are due on the same day.

An arraignment is a court appearance in which you are formally notified of the charges that have been filed against you. There are basically three options:

Plead guilty or no contest to the judge. The judge may pronounce the sentence at that time or schedule sentencing for another day.
Plead not guilty and get a new court date for a pretrial conference.
You may enter into a diversion agreement, if eligible. Diversion means that the State will agree to suspend prosecution for a set period of time and the charge(s) may be dismissed if the diversion requirements are successfully met.

If you choose to plead not guilty, the Court will set a pretrial conference where you will have the opportunity to talk with a City Prosecutor to discuss possible plea negotiations. Be aware that the City Prosecutor is not your attorney, and he/she is prohibited from providing you with legal advice on how your case should be handled. A skilled criminal defense attorney from Steven George Law can assist you during this stressful time.

Pre-Trial Conference

Your pre-trial conference is an opportunity for your attorney to check in with the prosecutor on the status of the case. This can include discussing any outstanding discovery issues, and whether the charges against you can be reduced to a less serious offense or dismissed entirely. The prosecutor may offer a settlement in exchange for receiving a lesser sentence. After consulting with your attorney, you will have the option of accepting or rejecting the prosecutor’s settlement offer. If you reject the prosecutor’s settlement offer, your case will eventually go to trial.