Plea of Guilty - By a plea of guilty, you admit that the act is prohibited by law, that you committed the act charged, and that you have no defense or excuse for your act. Before entering your plea of guilty, however, you should understand the following:

(1)	The State has the burden of proving that you violated the law (the law does not require that you prove you did not violate the law);
(2)	You have the right to hear the State's evidence and to require the State to prove you violated the law; and
(3)	A plea of guilty may be used against you later in a civil suit if there was a traffic accident (another party can say you were at fault or responsible for the accident because you pled guilty to the traffic charge).

Plea of Nolo Contendere (no contest) - A plea of nolo contendere means that you do not contest the State's charge against you. You will almost certainly be found guilty, unless you are eligible and successfully complete a driving safety course and/or court ordered probation. Also, a plea of nolo contendere cannot be used against you in a subsequent civil suit for damages.

Plea of Not Guilty - A plea of not guilty means that you are informing the Court that you deny guilt or that you have a defense in your case, and that the State must prove what it has charged against you. If you plead not guilty, you will need to decide whether to hire an attorney to represent you. If you represent yourself, the following section on The Trial will help you to understand trial procedure.

If you are charged with a traffic offense under the Subtitle C. Tran. Code, you may ask the judge before the appearance date on the citation, either orally or in writing, to take a driving safety course for one charge.  You may not take a driving safety course without first obtaining permission from the court.  No extension will be given for defensive driving. If you were operating a motorcycle and request to take a driving safety course, you must take a motorcycle operator's training course. At the time of the request, you must do the following:

(1)	Present a valid Texas drivers license;
(2)	Present proof of financial responsibility (liability insurance);  showing defendant's name, vehicle coverage, effective and expiration date;
(3)	Plead guilty or nolo contendere; and
(4)	Pay court costs and an administrative fee, if required.

Prosecution of the traffic offense will be postponed for 90 days to allow you time to complete the course. You are required to attend a driving safety course that has been approved by the Texas Education Agency or a motorcycle operator's course approved by the Department of Public Safety.

You are eligible to request this course if you:

(1)	Were charged with a moving violation;
(2)	Have not requested and taken a driving safety course for a traffic offense within the last 12 months;
(3)	Are not currently taking the course for another traffic violation;
(4)	Do not hold a commercial drivers license;
(5)	Have not committed the offense of speeding 25 mph (or more) over the speed limit; and
(6)	Have not been charged with one of the following sections of the Transportation Code:
	(A)	§472.022 - Construction zone when workers are present
	(B)	§545.066 - Passing a school bus
	(C)	§545.401 - Reckless driving
	(D)	§545.421 - Fleeing/Elude police officers
	(E)	§550.022 - Accident involving damage/Fleeing scene
	(F)	§550.023 - Duty to give information and render aid
	(G)	§522.003 - Serious traffic violations

Prior to the end of the 90-day period, you must present to the court a copy of your driving record from the Department of Public Safety. You are required to take the course within 90 days from the date of the request. You have an additional 30 days to show the court a completion certificate issued by the Texas Education Agency or the Texas Department of Public Safety. If you do not, the court will send you a notice requiring you to return to court and explain why you failed to show proof of completion. Your failure to be present at that hearing will result in a warrant for your arrest being issued.
 

A trial in municipal court is a fair, impartial and public trial as in any other court. Under Texas law, you can be brought to trial only after a sworn complaint is filed against you. A complaint is the document which alleges what act you are supposed to have committed and that the act is unlawful. You can be tried only for what is alleged in the complaint. You have the following rights in court:

(1)	The right to inspect the complaint before trial and have it read to you at the trial;
(2)	The right to have your case tried before a jury, if you so desire;
(3)	The right to hear all testimony introduced against you;
(4)	The right to cross-examine any witness who testifies against you;
(5)	The right to testify in your behalf;
(6)	The right not to testify; if you so desire. If you choose not to testify, your refusal to do so cannot be held against you in determining your innocence or guilt; and
(7)	You may call witnesses to testify in your behalf at the trial, and have the court issue a subpoena (a court order) to any witnesses to ensure their appearance at the trial. The request for a subpoena may be oral or in writing.

If you choose to have the case tried before a jury, you have the right to question jurors about their qualifications to hear your case. If you think that a juror will not be fair, impartial or unbiased, you may ask the judge to excuse the juror. The judge will decide whether or not to grant your request. You are also permitted to strike three members of the jury panel for any reason you choose, except an illegal reason (such as a strike based solely upon a person's race).

CONTINUANCES

If you need a continuance for your trial, you must put the request in writing and submit it to the court with your reasons prior to trial. The judge will make a decision whether or not to grant the continuance. You may request a continuance for the following reasons:

(1)	A religious holy day where the tenets of your religious organization prohibit members from participating in secular activities such as court proceedings (you must file an affidavit with the court stating this information); or
(2)	That you feel it is necessary for justice in your case.

After all testimony is concluded, both sides can make a closing argument. This is your opportunity to tell the court why you think that you are not guilty of the offense charged. The State has the right to present the first and last arguments. The closing argument can be based only on the testimony presented during the trial.

If you are found guilty by either the judge or jury, the penalty will be announced at that time. Unless you plan to appeal your case, you should be prepared to pay the fine at this time.

Court costs are assessed if you are found guilty at trial, if you plead nolo contendere, if your case is deferred for a driving safety course, or if your case is deferred and you are placed on probation. If you are found not guilty, court costs cannot be assessed.

Appeals
If you are found guilty, and are not satisfied with the judgment of the court, you have the right to appeal your case. To appeal, unless you are in a court of record, you must file an appeal bond with the municipal court within 10 days of the judgment if you appeared in open court. If you pled guilty or nolo contendere, waived your right to a jury trial and requested the amount of fine and appeal bond, put the request in writing and mail or deliver it to the court before your initial court appearance date, you have 31 days from the time you received a certified notice from the court to pay the fine or file an appeal bond with the municipal court.

The Beaumont Municipal Court actively participates in the Evelyn M. Lord Teen Court Program. Teen Court is a volunteer program which allows misdemeanor juvenile offenders an alternative to the adult criminal justice system. Through Teen Court, offenders are sentenced to service by a jury of their peers and are offered an opportunity to make restitution for their offense through community service, Teen Court participation, and other appropriate punishments, thus avoiding a permanent record of guilt.

For more information regarding juvenile offenders or Teen Court, contact the Juvenile Coordinator at (409) 833-0555.  or Visit http://www.beaumontpd.com/teencourt.asp

We accept payments in person or through the internet at www.cityofbeaumont.com. You may also mail payments to Beaumont Municipal Court, PO Box 3827, Beaumont, Texas 77704. We will accept payments by cash, personal checks, money orders, cashiers checks, and credit cards (MasterCard and Visa). Personal checks will not be accepted for payments on cases that have ever been in warrant status. There is a night deposit box located on the Forsythe Street side, by the door, where you may also deposit payments and correspondence. We do not recommend and the City of Beaumont is not responsible for cash sent by mail or dropped into the night deposit box.

WARRANTS

If a warrant has been issued for your arrest, you may pay the fine in full by cash, money order, cashier’s check or credit card. No personal checks will be accepted for payments on warrants. Any partial payments received will be posted towards the warrant, but the warrant will remain active until paid in full.

If you have never appeared in court or failed to appear for a court date, you may speak to a judge regarding your case and you will not be arrested. If you have been before a judge and a judgment has been entered and a fine assessed, your only option is to pay the fine in full or risk the chance of arrest.

JURY SERVICE

Cases heard by the Beaumont Municipal Court are class c misdemeanor violations that are punishable by fine only. Jurors are randomly selected from voter registration lists. If selected, jury service is normally for two Tuesdays a month and jurors are paid at a rate of $6.00 per day.

JUROR'S RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Right to Reemployment: A private employer may not terminate the employment of a permanent employee because the employee serves as a juror. An employee whose employment is terminated in violation of this section is entitled to return to the same employment that the employee held when summoned for jury service if the employee, as soon as practical after release from jury service, gives the employer actual notice that the employee intends to return. (Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Section 122.001). Terminating an employee for performing jury duty is punishable by up to 180 days in jail and/or a fine not to exceed $2,000 (Civil Practice & Remedies Code, Sec. 122.002).
Failure to Answer Summons and Penalties: Any person summoned who fails to attend or who fails to remain in attendance until discharged by the Court may be fined an amount not to exceed $100 for contempt (Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 45.027). Additionally, a person shall be fined not less than $10 nor more than $100 if the person: (1) fails to attend court in obedience to the notice without reasonable excuse; or (2) files a false claim of exemption from jury service (Government Code, Section 62.111). Furthermore, if a person knowingly provides false information in a request for an exemption to be excused from jury service, the person is subject to a contempt action punishable by a fine not less than $100 or more than $1,000 (Government Code, Section 62.0140).
Proper Clothing Required: All persons entering the courtroom should be dressed in clothing reasonably befitting the dignity and solemnity of the court proceedings. The following is inappropriate attire: shorts, tank tops, muscle shirts, halter tops, t-shirts with indecent wording/graphics, spaghetti straps, hats, head coverings, sunglasses, flip flops. Pants are to be worn at the waist with no exposed undergarments, as well as tops.
Exempt or Disqualified: You do not need to appear in person if you are exempt or not qualified for jury service. To claim an exemption or report your disqualification you must complete the following form below, sign it, and mail it to the Beaumont Municipal Court or personally bring it immediately to the address printed on the front of this summons.
 

QUALIFICATIONS FOR JURY SERVICE (Govt. Code, Section 62.102)

EXEMPTIONS FROM JURY SERVICE* (Govt. Code, Section 62.106)

To serve as a juror you must meet the following qualifications: 1. be at least 18 years of age; 2. be a citizen of the City of Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas. (Government Code, Section 62.501; specific to municipal courts) 3. be qualified under the Constitution and laws to vote in the county in which you are to serve as a juror (Note: you DO NOT have to be registered to vote to be qualified to vote); 4. be of sound mind and good moral character; 5. be able to read and write; 6. not have served as a juror for six days during the preceding three months in the county court or during the preceding six months in the district court; 7. not have been convicted of theft or any felony; 8. not be under indictment or other legal accusation of a misdemeanor theft, felony theft or any other felony charge.

You may be excused from jury service if: 1. you are over 70 years of age; 2. you have legal custody of a child less than 10 years of age and jury service would require leaving the child unsupervised; 3. you are a student at a public or private high school; 4. you are enrolled and attend college; 5. you are an officer or an employee of the senate, the house of representatives, or any department, commission, board, office, or other agency in the legislative branch of state govt; 6. you are the primary caretaker of a person who is an invalid unable to care for himself or herself (This exemption does not apply to health care workers.); 7. you have served as a juror in the county during the 24-month period prior to the date you are required to appear for this summons; 8. you have been summoned for service in the county as a petit juror during the three-year period preceding the date you are to appear for jury service; 9. you are a member of the U.S. military forces serving on active duty and deployed to a location away from your home station and out of your county of residence. * You are not required to claim an exemption. It is your choice.

DIRECTIONS TO BEAUMONT MUNICIPAL COURT