The Williamson County Justice Court has jurisdiction over Juveniles (10-16 years of age) charged with Class C misdemeanor offenses.
All Juvenile non-traffic court records are confidential and information pertaining to these cases may not be given over the phone. The Juvenile and/or a parent or guardian must appear at the Williamson County Georgetown Annex with photo identification to obtain further information about their case.
- All Juvenile defendants who were under the age of 17 at the time of receiving the citation must appear in open Court before the Judge for their initial appearance. Code of Criminal Procedure, Art. 45.0215 (a)
- A parent or legal guardian is also required to attend the hearing with the defendant. Art. 45.015 (d) states ‘failure of the parent to appear may result in arrest and is a Class C misdemeanor’.
- These hearings are scheduled by the Juvenile Clerk. A summons to appear at the first appearance hearing will be mailed to the defendant and will contain the location, date and time.
- Your first appearance is to determine your plea. The plea must be made by the defendant charged with the offense and will be one of three pleas: Guilty, Not Guilty or No-Contest. Guilty means that you admit to the charge and wish to accept the punishment from the Judge. Not Guilty means that you are innocent of the charge against you and want to have your day in Court. No-Contest means that you neither wish to plead innocent nor guilty but just want to move on with the punishment that the Judge deems fair. If a plea of Not Guilty is entered then you will need to meet with the County Prosecutor. That meeting will be set for a future date, based on availability.
Juveniles who fail to appear in court may have an additional charge of “failure to appear” filed against them. Juveniles who fail to appear or who fail to pay their fine will be reported to the DPS, which will suspend or deny issuance of their driver’s license.
Juveniles who disobey a court order may be found in contempt of court and assessed a fine not to exceed $500 plus court costs or referred to District Juvenile Court for contempt. In addition, their driver’s license may be suspended or denied until they have fully complied.