Misdemeanor Section
A misdemeanor refers to any crime punishable by incarceration of less than a year.
Felony Preliminary Hearings
A felony preliminary hearing is a pretrial proceeding in which a judge determines whether there is probable cause to believe a felony was committed and, if so, whether there is probable cause to believe that it was the defendant who committed the felony.
When there is a finding of probable cause, the case is sent to the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division for assignment to a trial court.
Felony offenses include Felony Narcotic Dangerous Drugs and Cannabis Offenses.
Preliminary Hearings for the following felony offenses are heard in the Pretrial Division located at the Leighton Courthouse. This includes Homicide, Felony Sex Offenses, Attempted Murder of a Police Officer, Juveniles charged as an adult with a felony offense, Felony Sex Offender Registration Offenses, Fugitive Warrants and Felony traffic offenses.