In Pennsylvania, traffic violations and summary criminal offenses (the lowest level of criminal offenses) are heard first in district courts, also called magisterial courts. There are several district courts in each county, including Montgomery County, and each district serves part or all of certain boroughs and townships. Because so many issues, including landlord tenant disputes and small claims under $12,000, are handled in district court, each court sees many people each day.
If you have been charged with any of the violations of summary offenses handled by district courts, you will be notified or summoned to appear in the district court for your area. You may have to attend a preliminary hearing, an arraignment, a traffic hearing, or possibly even a non-jury trial (presided over only by the judge) depending on the offense. District court hearings, like any judicial proceeding, should not be taken lightly. If you find yourself in district court, you owe it to yourself and your family to take it very seriously and prepare a strong, solid defense so that you do not have to suffer the consequences of being convicted in district court.
Glenside District Court
If you live in certain voting districts of Abington Township (namely, voting districts 2-3, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 4-1, 4-2, 6-1, 6-2, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 9-1, 9-2, 11-1, 11-3, 12-1, 12-2, 12-3, 13-1, 13-2 & 13-3), then your local district court is District Court 38-1-05. The court is located at 875 North Easton Road in Glenside. The Honorable Judge Juanita A. Price presides over this district court, and the court can be reached via phone at 215-885-4120 or fax at 215-885-2190.
The kinds of offenses that the Glenside district court is likely to hear include such summary offenses as running a stop sign or red light, loitering, underage drinking, speeding, harassment, shoplifting, or disorderly conduct. You may also be in district court for driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs, or for being involved in a small claims case or a landlord tenant dispute case.
But even though these offenses may seem relatively minor, you may still face consequences like costly fines or even time spent in jail. The likelihood of these consequences is high if you are convicted in district court, which may happen to you if you are not prepared with a good defense to show Judge Price that you do not deserve such extreme consequences. In fact, a strong defense may even convince Judge Price to dismiss the charges entirely, so that you will not have a criminal record or receive any punishment for the offense.
Contact An Experienced Attorney
In order to ensure that your defense is strong and convincing, get in touch with one of our experienced lawyers as soon as you receive your summons. Our attorneys, who have years of experience dealing with cases like yours in district courts in Pennsylvania, will help you prepare your defense so that you are confident in your hearing and so that you and your family do not have to suffer from a conviction in district court. Do not hesitate to get in touch, so that you have plenty of time to work with our attorneys to prepare your defense.