El Dorado County Criminal Court handles all criminal cases that are filed in El Dorado County. See below for more information about criminal cases in El Dorado County.
Jury Deliberations in El Dorado County
In El Dorado County, jury deliberations will take place in a jury trial after the prosecution and defense have presented their cases and rested. At this point, the judge will provide a list of instructions to the jury about what they are allowed and not allowed to do and what verdict options are available for them to decide. The jury will be sent to a private room to discuss the evidence presented in the case and attempt to reach a unaminous decision. When a unaminous decision is reached, the jury will inform the judge that they have reached a verdict and will return to the courtroom for the verdict to be read allowed. In the event that the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict, the jury results in a deadlock and a mistrial is declared.
Appealing a guilty verdict
A defendant may appeal a guilty verdict to an appellate court. This is not a request to have another trial, but a request for an appellate court to review the case and determine that it was handled in a correct legal manner. There are a number of outcomes in an appeal including an upholding of the conviction, a finding that errors were made resulting in a retrial or resentencing or possibly a complete disimissal of all charges.
El Dorado County Criminal Court
Prosecutor in El Dorado County
In El Dorado County, the prosecutor is an attorney representing El Dorado County. In some cases, the prosecutor may actually represent California. For the most part, the prosecutor in El Dorado County has discretion to both decide whether to file charges and also negotiate a potential plea deal with the defendant.
Arraignments in El Dorado County
During an arraignment in El Dorado County, a defendant appears before the court and the judge reads the charges that have been filed against the accused and also informs the defendant of his/her rights. During the arraignment in El Dorado County, the defendant can choose to plead one of the following 1) Guilty 2) Not Guilty or 3) No Contest. If the defendant enters a plea of Not Guilty, a date for trial is set. In the event of a Guilty or No Contest Plea in El Dorado County the defendant may be sentenced at that time or the sentencing may take place at a later date.
Burden of Proof Requirement
In a criminal case in the United States, the burden of proof always requires the prosecutor to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. This is a high threshold that must be met by the prosecution when presenting evidence in a case. If the prosecution fails in it’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt the judge must find the defendant not guilty. In a jury trial, the judge will inform the jury what this burden is and their obligation to find the defendant not guilty if they feel the prosecution did prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
El Dorado County Criminal Court hearings
Criminal hearings in El Dorado County will take place at the El Dorado County Criminal Courts. Please see here for a list of the El Dorado County Criminal Court Locations.
Mandatory Appearances in El Dorado County Criminal Court
At a mandatory or required court appearance in El Dorado County, the defendant must appear before the court. In the event of a “Failure to Appear” the judge may issue a warrant for the arrest of the defendant. Note: not all criminal hearings are mandatory, in a non-mandatory hearing an attorney may appear on your behalf without you being in court.
Where can I get help for my El Dorado County criminal case?
The 6th amendment of the United States Constitution provides a criminal defendant with the right to an attorney. As read in the miranda rights, this means that if a defendant cannot afford to hire a private attorney a legal attorney will be appointed to the defendant to represent him at no cost to the defendant. This is often a public defender. In addition, the court clerk for El Dorado County will also be able to provide general information about a specific criminal case. The clerk can only provide information and is not an attorney so they cannot provide legal advice, only a licensed attorney can provide legal advice about what the best options for are for your particular case.
Right to Jury Trial
For “Serious Crimes”, those that can have a potential penalty of 6 months in jail OR a minimum $500 penalty, the US Constitution guarantees a right to trial by jury. This is guaranteed by Article III of the Constitution and the 6th Amendment. The accused has the ability to waive their right to trial by jury.
Can I request a Plea Agreement?
In El Dorado County you may be able to enter into a plea agreement depending upon the severity of the charges. It is also dependant upon the prosecution willing to accept a plea agreement. You can ask your attorney to attempt to negotiate a plea agreement with the prosecution to avoid having a jury trial along with the potential for a more serious sentence. Approximately 9 out of 10 criminal cases usually end in a plea agreement.
What if I can’t afford an attorney?
The 6th Amendment guarantees you the right to an attorney whether or not you can afford one. If you cannot afford one, a public defender will be appointed by the court to represent you.
Defendant Sentencing
At a sentence hearing the judge will inform the defendant of the sentence that will be imposed. This sometimes occurs at the same hearing in which the defendant is found guilty (either by trial or plea agreement). In can also occur at a later date, most often this is due to the complexity of the case where more time is needed to determine the appropriate sentence.
El Dorado County Criminal Court Locations
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El Dorado County Superior Court
Address: 495 Main Street, Placerville CA 95667
Phone: 530-621-6426 Fax: 530-622-9774 -
El Dorado County Superior Court
Address: 2850 Fairlane Court, Suite 120, Placerville CA 95667
Phone: 530-621-7464 Fax: 530-626-0656 -
El Dorado County Superior Court
Address: 3321 Cameron Park Drive, Cameron Park CA 95682
Phone: 530-621-5867 (Civil/Probate/Small Claims) Fax: 530-672-2413 -
El Dorado County Superior Court
Address: 1354 Johnson Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe CA 96150
Phone: 530-573-3075 (Civil/Juvenile/Family/Probate) Fax: 530-544-6532 -
El Dorado County Superior Court
Address: 295 Fair Lane, Placerville CA 95667
Phone: 530-621-7470 (Juvenile/Traffic) Fax: 530-295-2611