Criminal Law

From misdemeanors to felonies, we will be with you every step of the way to protect your legal rights.

Municipal Courts

• Ohio’s municipal courts are trial courts located in counties and townships throughout Ohio. There are more than 120 municipal courts in Ohio.   
• Depending on the size of the municipality, a municipal court may have a traffic/criminal division, which generally hears traffic offenses and misdemeanor criminal cases.
• The court process starts with the arraignment. At the arraignment (the defendant’s first appearance in court), the defendant is informed of the charges and enters a plea of guilty or not guilty. After the arraignment, the case is usually randomly assigned to one of the municipal court judges, who oversees the case to its conclusion.   
• In a misdemeanor criminal case, the defendant has a right to a jury of eight people, and all eight must agree to a verdict of guilty or not guilty. A criminal defendant who would rather have a judge hear his or her case must waive the right to a jury both in writing and verbally, in open court.

Common Pleas Courts

• Ohio’s courts of common pleas are trial courts, and there is one common pleas court for each of Ohio’s 88 counties.
• If the defendant's case is not resolved through plea bargaining, we will not hesitate to go to trial.
• Trials can be held either to a jury or to a judge. In a felony criminal case, the defendant automatically gets a jury of 12 persons, and all 12 must agree to a unanimous verdict of guilty or not guilty. If a criminal defendant does not want a jury trial, and would rather have a judge determine the facts of the case, he or she must waive his jury right both in writing, and in open court.

Juvenile Courts

• Your child can become involved in the juvenile justice system by committing a delinquent or unruly act.
• A delinquency is an act that if committed by an adult would be a crime (either a felony or misdemeanor). A status or unruly offense is illegal when done by a juvenile, but not a crime for an adult(for example truancy or running away).
• If your child is charged with a delinquency or unruly offense, he/she can be detained by juvenile court in a secure facility. Your child may enter the juvenile court system by the police arresting him/her and filing a complaint with the court. Other people may also file a complaint at juvenile court against your child if they believe your child has committed a delinquent or unruly offense.

For help with your criminal or juvenile issues, contact the experienced attorneys at Alexander, Wagner & Kinman for a free consultation.


This information is intended to provide broad, general information about the law and is not intended to be legal advice. Before applying this information to a specific legal problem, readers are urged to seek advice from a licensed attorney.