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What is the court process for a criminal case in Central Ohio? I'm Shawn Dominy, I'm a criminal defense lawyer, and this video is going to answer that question. When you're charged with a criminal offense, the case is going to start with either a complaint or an indictment. Complaints are used in misdemeanor cases and indictments are used in felony cases, but basically, they're the same thing. They just tell you what you are charged with. When you receive the complaint or the indictment, you also receive a summons to appear in court. Well, unless there was an arrest warrant issued with the complaint or indictment, then you just get arrested.

Whether you get arrested or you're summoned, you go to court for that first court appearance, which is called an arraignment. Mainly what happens at the arraignment is you decide what plea you're going to enter. Guilty, not guilty or no contest. The judge will also address the issue of bond. He or she may set a bond and may set conditions which are court orders that you have to follow while the case is pending.

After the arraignment, the next stage is typically a pretrial hearing. Different courts call it different things. Some call it a status conference, some call it a discovery conference, but whatever it's called, the pretrial hearing is designed to be an opportunity for you or your lawyer to talk to the prosecutor about the case and negotiate a possible agreed resolution, a plea agreement.

If a plea agreement isn't reached at the pretrial, often the next stage is a motion hearing, which is a hearing on motions to suppress evidence. And in that kind of hearing, the judge listens to both sides and decides what evidence will be admissible at trial and what evidence will not be admissible at trial. The motion hearing is also another opportunity to continue negotiations with the prosecution.
If the case still isn't resolved, then the next stage is typically a trial. You can have a trial where the judge decides whether you're guilty or you can have a trial where a jury decides whether you're guilty. At a trial, you have the right to be represented by an attorney. And if you choose to have a trial, I think it's wise to avail yourself of that right.

If you have a trial and you're found guilty or if you have pled guilty to something, then the final stage is a sentence hearing where you or your attorney will present what they call mitigation to the judge essentially telling the judge why the sentence should be lenient. And that typically is the last stage of the case, unless you appeal to the Court of Appeals.

I know when you've been charged with a criminal offense that it can be overwhelming and it can be the source of a lot of anxiety. And for that reason, at the Dominy Law Firm, we recommend that the first thing you do is educate yourself about your situation as much as possible. This video and the other videos on our YouTube channel and our website will help you do that and the website is also full of written content which will also help you educate yourself. In the event that you decide you'd like to hire a lawyer, there are a couple of ways you can contact our firm. The first way is to contact us and that number is on the screen, and the second way is to submit a contact form, and that form is on our website. In any event, I hope that you found this information about the court process helpful and we look forward to hearing from you.

For more information on Ohio criminal law issues, see the videos on the Dominy Law Firm YouTube channel and the written information on the Dominy Law Firm website (https://www.dominylaw.com/).

Dominy Law Firm
7716 Rivers Edge Dr., Suite B
Columbus, OH 43235
614-717-1177