Municipal Court
Welcome to the Municipal Court's Webpage
Thressa Householder
Municipal Court Supervisor
2600 Miller Lane
Pantego, Texas 76013
(817) 274-3869 Main Line
(817) 261-4538 Metro Line
OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
METHODS OF PAYMENT:
Cash, Personal Check, Money Order, Cashier’s Check, Most major credit cards
To make an electronic payment please click here.
THIS WEBSITE IS IN THE PROCESS OF UPDATING. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO REACH A LINK PLEASE TRY BACK AT A LATER TIME.
***********Notice New Forms Available***************
For your convenience we have provided printable forms online:
Deferred Disposition and Defensive Driving.
It is your responsibility to read and return all documentation associated with your request. All requests must be received in the Clerks office by the due date on your citation to ensure your eligibility. You MUST contact the Municipal Court during business hours to get the correct payment amount for your violation. All requests received after the due date or are found to be ineligible will be returned and all open citations will still be subject to warrants being issued.
STAFF:
Bill Lane - Presiding Judge
Mark Haney - Associate Judge/Magistrate
Craig Magnuson - Prosecutor
Thressa Householder - Municipal Court Supervisor
Erica Pulaski- Deputy Court Clerk
Freddie Alexander- Bailiff/Warrant Officer
Court Clerks:
The Municipal Court Clerks may assist you by telephone or in person during regular business hours, but cannot provide you with legal advise as they are not attorneys. This information is provided as a courtesy to assist you in taking care of the charges filed against you.
DO NOT CALL OR APPEAR WITHIN THE FIRST 3 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE YOUR CITATION.
Fine information will not be given until the citation is filed with the Municipal Court. The appearance date will be listed on the front of your citation at the time the peace officer issues it to you.
JUVENILES/MINORS
A JUVENILE (age 10-16) who receives a citation must appear in court with a parent or legal guardian. Once the citation is filed in the court a court setting letter will be mailed to the parents of the juvenile.
A MINOR (age 17-20) who receives a citation for an alcohol related offense must appear in open court before the Judge. Once the citation if filed in the court a court setting letter will be mailed to the defendant.
WARRANTS
If you have warrants you may be eligible to set up a payment plan. You will need to contact the Warrant Officer at (817) 261-4537 for information on prices and payment amounts. Payment Plan Application
CITATIONS
Once a citation is received you will have until the appearance date listed at the bottom of the citation in which to take care of the charges filed against you. Please refer to the secondary information sheet that you were given by the officer at the time of the stop. If after reading this sheet you have further question you may contact the court clerk’s office during normal business hours.
COURT APPEARANCES
After receiving a citation, you have thirty (30) days to enter an appearance with the Court. A phone call does not constitute an appearance. Failure to appear or answer on the citation within this 30 day period may result in a warrant for your arrest being issued and an additional charge of Failure to Appear may be issued. An additional warrant fee is incurred on each violation when a warrant is issued. Although not required by law, the Warrant Division will notify you by mail at the address listed on the citation when a warrant for your arrest has been issued. When issuing an arrest warrant for Class C misdemeanor offenses, the relevant information is added to the State’s criminal database. Be advised that you are subject to arrest by any agency confirming the warrant for your arrest. An arrest warrant will remain active until the fines and fees have been paid or a bond has been posted following your arrest. If you have outstanding warrants, the renewal of your driver’s license may be denied.
To plead guilty, you must check the guilty plea and sign the citation. It should then be mailed or delivered in person to the Court along with the appropriate fine amount. A receipt for your payment will be provided to you if a self-addressed stamped envelope is enclosed with your payment. A guilty plea will be considered a conviction and recorded as such on your criminal and/or driving record. You cannot plead guilty and request deferred adjudication/probation to keep the offense from appearing on your record(s).
If you wish to plead nolo contendere or no contest, you will be responsible for the fees and costs, including the deferred adjudication fee, assessed for your citation(s). A request for deferred adjudication must be made in person at the clerk’s office. You will need to contact the clerk’s office for the amount of the deferred fee that will be due for your citation(s).
If you wish to enter a plea of not guilty, you will need to appear at the clerk’s office prior to the expiration of your 30 day period. You cannot enter a plea of not guilty or schedule a court date by telephone. If you plead not guilty, a Pre-Trial or First Appearance hearing will be scheduled so that you can meet with the Municipal Prosecutor to discuss your case. If the citations are not dismissed and no plea agreement is made, a trial date will be scheduled. Bench trials or trails before the Judge are held during a regularly scheduled Court session. Jury trials are held as necessary.
TRIALS AND APPEALS
Trials conducted in the Pantego Municipal Court of Record are in accordance with the due process requirements of the United States Constitution, Texas Constitution and Code of Criminal Procedure. Defendants may be represented by an attorney or may act “pro se” which is a Latin term meaning that the defendant represents himself or herself at trial.
Article 1.05 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure states that a defendant cannot be brought to trial until after being formally charged with the offense in a complaint. The complaint is a sworn document which alleges the offense you are alleged to have committed and that your conduct was unlawful, Only the offenses alleged in the complaint may be brought to trial.
Each defendant is assured of the following rights in Court:
1. The right to inspect the complaint before trial and have it read to you at trial;
2. The right to have your case tried before a jury;
3. The right to hear all testimony introduced against you;
4. The right to cross-examine any and all witnesses who testify against you;
5. The right to testify on your own behalf;
6. The right not to testify (the 5th Amendment of the United States constitution ensures that your refusal to testify cannot be held against you in determining your guilt or innocence); and,
7. The right to call witnesses to testify in your behalf at the trial and have the Court issue a subpoena to any witnesses to demand their appearance at the trial. A subpoena is a Court order notifying the witness that he must be in Court for the trial. If a witness does not appear after receiving a subpoena, he or she may be cited with contempt and a warrant for the witness’ arrest may be issued. Request for subpoena’s are due at least ten (10) days before trial and must be in writing or requested in person at the clerk’s office.
Any time a defendant pleads not guilty, he or she will be scheduled on the Pre-Trial or First Appearance docket. During this hearing, the defendant will have an opportunity to discuss the case with the Municipal Prosecutor and present evidence as to why the case should be dismissed or the fine lessened due to the fact and circumstances involved. If the case is not dismissed and no plea agreement can be reached between the defendant and the Municipal Prosecutor, the case will be set for trial at a later date. This enables both the defendant and prosecutor to gather evidence, subpoena witnesses, and prepare for trial. A trial date will be scheduled only after the defendant has appeared for his or her Pre-Trial or First Appearance hearing.
TRIAL BY JURY
Jury trials are conducted on an as needed basis. Jurors from the Pantego community will be summoned to appear for service. Be advised that juror fees may be assessed against you as costs of Court if you are found guilty following a trial by jury.
The Municipal Prosecutor and defendant will have the opportunity to question potential jurors to learn of any biases or prejudices present which could prevent a fair or impartial trial. The defendant and the prosecutor may each strike three (3) potential jurors from the service. All cases tried in the Municipal Court will be heard by a petit jury which consists of six (6) persons. The jury will select a foreperson. The foreperson is responsible for polling the jury, signing the verdict form, and transmitting questions or requests to the Judge. The verdict of the jury must be unanimous. The jury panel will receive the charge of the Court before rendering a verdict. The charge sets forth the law applicable in the case, the range of fines allowed in the case, and directions on how the jurors must conduct themselves during deliberations to arrive at a fair and impartial verdict based on the evidence presented at trial.
EXTENSIONS
If you have a citation and you wish to pay the citation but are unable to by the appearance date on your citation you can appear at the court clerk’s office on or before the appearance date on your citation and request a 30 day extension to pay your citation. At the end of the 30 day extension period you will either need to pay the citation in full or pay a $25 fee per violation to place your violations on a time payment plan. Failure to take care of your citation within your extension period will result in a “Capias pro fine” warrant being issued for your arrest and an additional warrant fee added to your total cost.
PROBATION / DEFERRED DISPOSITION
Defendants who enter a plea of guilty or nolo contendere/ no contest are generally eligible for deferred disposition or probation to keep the offense from appearing on their driving and /or criminal records. In the municipal court, the terms "probation" or "deferred disposition" have the same meaning.
A request for deferred disposition/probation may be made in person at the Court or by printing document below. Deferred Disposition
Cost and Fees
The State court costs and a deferred disposition fee will be due to the Court upon granting of a request for deferred disposition/probation. Since the costs and fees will vary according to the offense cited, you will need to contact the Court to obtain the exact amount of the deferral fee owed for you citation(s).
Probation Conditions
If your request for deferred disposition is granted, you will be placed on probation for a period of time not to exceed 180 days. You must not receive any other citations in the Town of Pantego during your probation period.
Citation Dismissal After Probation
At the end of the deferral period, provided you have met all the conditions of your probation, the Judge will dismiss your citation. Dismissal of your citation will not affect your auto insurance rates or coverage and will not be reported to the Department of Public Safety.
Failure to Comply
If you fail to comply with any one of the terms or conditions of your probation, the court will schedule you a court hearing to discuss your case with the Judge. If you do not appear to this hearing , a final judgment of guilty will be entered and a Capias pro fine warrant for your arrest my be issued. The guilty Conviction will be reported to the Department of Public Safety and will appear on your driving and/or criminal record.
DRIVING SAFETY SCHOOL
To be eligible to take a driving safety class to have the case filed against you dismissed, you must meet the following requirements:
(1) You must have a valid Texas Driver’s License
(2) You must have valid Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance with your name listed as a driver
(3) You must not be taking a class for another ticket you received in Texas that is not yet reflected on your driving record, or have completed a class within the past 12 months from the date of your citation. You are not eligible to take Defensive Driving for the offense of Speeding 25 or more over the speed limit or Reckless Driving.
printable forms: Driving Record Defensive Driving
DISMISSAL OF CERTAIN TRAFFIC CITATIONS
Expired Driver’s License - may be dismissed if you renew your license within 30 days from the date of your citation. You will need to bring or mail your temporary license which will show the date in which the license was renewed to the court clerk’s office by your appearance date on your citation.
Expired Registration - may be dismissed with a $20 dismissal fee if you renew the registration and pay the 20% late registration fee to the county at the time of registration within 30 days from the date of the citation. You will need to bring or mail the receipt showing the date registered and that the 20%penalty was paid to the court clerk’s office along with the $20 dismissal fee by the appearance date on your citation.
Expired Motor Vehicle Inspection - may be dismissed with a $20 dismissal fee if the inspection was not expired over 60 days and if you get the vehicle inspected within 30 days from the date of the citation. You will need to bring or mail the computer printout from the inspection station showing that the vehicle passed to the court clerk’s office along with the $20 dismissal fee by your appearance date on your citation.
Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility (FMFR) - may be dismissed without a fee if you had valid proof of liability insurance but just didn’t have the proof with you at the time of the traffic stop. You will need to bring to the court clerk’s office proof of liability insurance that was valid at the time of the citation. This will need to be done by the appearance date on your citation.
BONDS
When a person is arrested for outstanding Class C misdemeanor warrants, he or she may be able to post a surety or appearance bond to secure the release from jail while awaiting trial on the case. If the defendant has outstanding capias warrants, only cash payments will be accepted.
APPEARANCE BONDS
To obtain an appearance bond, you should contact a bail bondsman or other surety who has the proper authority to post a bond with the Court. The bondsman or surety will collect a fee for this service. The fee is a percentage of the total bail required for each citation. The bondsman’s fee is generally non-refundable and is not paid to the Court for the citation(s). Therefore, the defendant remains responsible for all fines, fees, costs, etc. for the outstanding citation(s). After being released from jail, notice of the posted appearance bond is forwarded to the Pantego Municipal Court. You will need to appear on the date listed on your bond or make payment arrangements prior to this court date. Failure to appear on your court date or failure to make payment arrangements prior to your court date could result in additional warrants being issued for your arrest.
CASH BONDS
Upon being arrested for outstanding Class C misdemeanor warrants, a defendant always has the ability to post a cash bond in the full amount of the fines due to secure his or her release from jail. The cash bond is generally collected at the jail where the defendant is incarcerated. The amount owed for outstanding Pantego warrants is forwarded from that jail to the Pantego Municipal Court. You will need to appear in court on the date and time listed on your cash escrow deposit receipt. If no date is listed on the bond, you MUST contact the clerk’s office upon your release to obtain a court date. If the defendant who posts a cash bond fails to appear, the bond may be forfeited and additional warrants may be issued for your arrest.
FINE LISTING
VIOLATIONS FINE DEFERRED
Speeding (1-15 over) $175.10 $205.10
Speeding (16-19 over) $200.10 $230.10
Speeding (20 over) $200.10 $230.10
Speeding (21 over) $200.10 $230.10
Speeding (22 over) $225.10 $255.10
Speeding (23 over) $225.00 $255.00
Speeding (24 over) $250.10 $280.10
Speeding (25+ over) $300.10 $330.10
Speeding School Zone(1-15 over) $200.10 $230.10
Speeding School Zone(16-19 over) $225.00 $255.00
Speeding School Zone(20+ over) $325.00 $355.00
No Seat Belt Driver $147.00 $177.00
No Valid Driver's License $226.00 $256.00
Ran Stop Sign $176.00 $206.00
Ran Red Light $176.00 $206.00
If you do not see your violation in the above list please call the Pantego Municipal Court at (817) 274-3869 to receive the correct fine amount for your citation.
Municipal Court
2600 Miller Lane
Pantego, Texas 76013
(817) 274-3869 Main Line
(817) 261-4538 Metro Line
OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.