Delaware County Criminal Court

Delaware County Criminal Court hears all criminal cases in Delaware County. Below you will find specific information about criminal cases and how they are handled in Delaware County.

Delaware County Criminal Court locations

Criminal proceedings take place in the Delaware County Criminal Courts. A list of the criminal courts are located here.

Prosecutor in Delaware County

In Delaware County, the prosecutor is an attorney representing Delaware County. In some cases, the prosecutor may actually represent Oklahoma. For the most part, the prosecutor in Delaware County has discretion to both decide whether to file charges and also negotiate a potential plea deal with the defendant.

Delaware County Criminal Court

Delaware County Criminal Court

Jury Deliberation

In a jury trial in Delaware County, after both the prosecution and defense have rested, the judge will give instructions to the jury and jury deliberations will begin. The jury will convence in a private room to discuss and deliberate the innocence or guilt of the defendant. Once the jury arrives at a unimanous decision, they will inform the judge that they have reached a decision. They will return to the court and the verdict will be read aloud. If the jury cannot reach a unaminous decision, the jury is said to be deadlocked and a mistrial will be declared in the case.

Can I appeal a guilty verdict?

If found guilty, a defendant may decide to appeal his case to an appelate court. The appellate court will not retry the case, they will examine the proceedings in the lower court to make sure they were done in a legal manner. The appellate court can either uphold the original conviction, or determine that due to errors made in the original trial, that there must be a retrial, resentencing or a complete dismissal of the charges.

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.

What is the Burden of Proof?

The term “Burden of Proof” means that the prosecutor is required to prove the guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. If the prosecutor cannot provide proof of the defendants guilt, then the judge or jury in a trial must find the defendant not guilty. In the United States the principle innocent until proven guilty derives from this that the defendant is assumed innocent and the prosecution has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty.

Mandatory Appearances in Delaware County Criminal Court

At a mandatory or required court appearance in Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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.

What is a Plea Agreement?

A plea agreement is a deal made between the prosecution and the defendant in a case, where the defendant agrees to plea guilty to a particular charge in exchange for some concession from the prosecutor. In practice, more than 90% of criminal cases end with 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.

What happens in Delaware County at an arraignment?

In Delaware County the defendant is brought into court and informed by the judge of the charges that have been filed against them along with informing them of their rights. At this time, the defendant can plead guilty, not guilty or no contest. If the defendant pleads guilty or no contest, there will be no trial and the defendant may be sentenced immediately or at a later date. If the defendant pleads not guilty a trial date is set.

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.

Delaware County Criminal Court Locations

  • Delaware County District Court

    Address: PO Box 407, Jay, OK 74346
    Phone: 918-253-4420 Fax: 918-253-5739

  • Bernice Municipal Court

    Address: 209 South Broadway, PO Box 3807, Bernice, OK 74331
    Phone: 918-256-7777

  • Colcord Municipal Court

    Address: 128 South Colorado Avenue, PO Box 133, Colcord, OK 74338
    Phone: 918-326-4200

  • Grove Municipal Court

    Address: 104 West 3rd Street, Grove, OK 74344
    Phone: 918-786-6107

  • Jay Municipal Court

    Address: 102 North 5th Street, PO Drawer 348, Jay, OK 74346
    Phone: 918-253-4148

  • West Siloam Springs Municipal Court

    Address: 4880 Cedar Drive, West Siloam Springs, OK 74338
    Phone: 918-422-5101

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.