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Justice of the Peace Precinct 1


The Montgomery County Justice Court One has jurisdiction over Juveniles charged with Class C misdemeanor offenses. 

  • 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 Case Manager. A summons to appear at the first appearance hearing will be mailed to the defendant and will contain the location, date and time to appear in court.
  • 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 Assistant District Attorney. 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 Texas Department of Public Safety, 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 the Juvenile Court for contempt. In addition, their driver’s license may be suspended or denied until they have fully complied.

-- 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 Montgomery County Justice Court One with photo identification to obtain further information about their case. 

Attire & Conduct
All persons entering the Court are expected to be dressed appropriately. Please come dressed and ready for court. If what you wear is too tight, too short, too revealing or offensive in any manner, do not be offended if you are asked to go home and change clothes. Every person shall also obey the Court rules and shall conduct themselves in a respectful and courteous manner. The Bailiff will remove any person in violation of the dress code or for being disruptive in Court.

Change of Address
You and your parent or guardian must notify the Court within seven days of each change of address that you have. This obligation continues until your case has completely resolved all fines and court costs are paid or discharged. 45.057 (h), Code of Criminal Procedure

Community Service Hours
Performance of community service hours may be a requirement of your deferred court order. Community service hours are ordered on a case-by-case basis and must be completed at a non-profit agency. It is your responsibility to contact the agency of your choice to work and arrange hours to be worked to satisfy your sentence. If you wish to work at a provider not listed, it must be at a NON PROFIT location.

Expunction
Below you will find information on expunction procedures. There is a non-refundable fee of $30 that will be due at the time you file for expunction with the Court. Please read the application to determine if you are eligible to request an expunction before contacting the Court.

Juveniles that are now adults
If you received a citation for an offense while 16 years of age or younger and are now over 17 years of age, you are still subject to the laws of that particular case. If you have any questions regarding how to handle your case, please contact the Juvenile Case Manager. If you do not take care of your un-adjudicated cases, you may be subject to additional charges and penalties as an adult, and a warrant may be issued for your arrest.

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