City of Wills Point - Municipal Court Information

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The City of Wills Point Municipal Court is the Judicial Branch of City Government. The Municipal Court has jurisdiction over all fine-only offenses that have been committed within the Wills Point city limits. These offenses consist of Class C Misdemeanors only, which include Traffic, Parking, State Penal Code and City Ordinance violations, all of which have fine only penalities. These cases consist of citations written by the Wills Point Police Department, Department of Public Safety and Code Enforcement. The Municipal Court maintains all court records, ensures the orderly conduct of court sessions and accounts for all matters involving the Municipal Court.

The mission of the Municipal Court is to provide citizens with a fair and impartial court of law by interpreting and adjudicating applicable state laws and city ordinances.  Our pledge is to continue this commitment and offer courteous customer service to all citizens.

Municipal Court Personnel

Presiding Judge -  Mary A. Bardin 

Prosecutor -  Shaina Primeaux

Court Clerk/Administrator - Lorena Rios

Operational Information

Physical Address: 134 N. 4th Street, Wills Point, Texas 75169
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 546, Wills Point, Texas 75169
Phone: (903) 873-4530
Fax: (903) 873-8504

Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday  8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Court is closed from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. each day for lunch). 

Payment methods

Mastercard, Visa, Discover, Cash, Cashier's Check or Money Order payable to the Wills Point Municipal Court

Schedule of Court Hearings:

Juvenile Hearings are set by the Clerk of the Court on the first Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. or  1:00 p.m.  Notice of the hearing will be mailed to the Defendant's address. 

Pre-trial conferences and trial settings are set by the Clerk of the Court on the second Tuesday of each month at either 10:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m.  Notice of the hearing will be mailed to the Defendant's address.

Indigency Hearings are set by the Clerk of the Court on the third Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m.

Show cause hearings are set by the Clerk of the Court on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m.

Local Rules for the City of Wills Point Municipal Court:

Appearance Instructions - You must appear in person or represented by your attorney in the Wills Point Municipal Court no later than the date stated on your yellow copy of the citation.  You can appear before your court date provided your case is filed with the court, which takes three to five business days from the issue date of the citation.  Please note that telephone calls do not constitute an appearance.

You may dispose of your case prior to your court date by one of the following methods:

If you wish to plead "Not Guilty", you must appear at the Municipal Court on or before your court date as stated on your citation to be scheduled for a pre-trial conference with the City Prosecutor.  If you wish to be represented by counsel, your attorney must file a written notice of legal representation with the Court before your court date.   

Not Guilty - When you enter this plea, you are stating to the Court that you believe you are innocent of the charge and wish to have your case placed on the pre-trial docket prior to scheduling the case for trial.  You may request a trial by the Court, or a jury trial.  Your case will be set for a pre-trial hearing and you will meet with the prosecuting attorney at that hearing.  If you are found guilty at the trial of your case, the Judge will exercise its discretion in determining the amount of the fine, court costs and any additional costs and fees authorized by State law that will be assessed against you.  If you are found not guilty at the trial, you will not be required to pay any fine or court costs. If you believe you are not guilty, you should enter that plea and set your case for trial.

If you wish to plead guilty or "no contest" and pay any fines and costs incurred, you may appear in person at our offices or by mail ON OR BEFORE YOUR COURT DATE, to avoid an additional offense of Violation of Promise to Appear, which will cause you to incur additional fines and court costs.  If you wish to be represented by counsel, your attorney must file a written notice of legal representation with the Court BEFORE your court date.

Guilty - Entering this plea means that you are admitting to the offense as charged.  You will be required to pay the applicable fine, plus all court costs. 

Nolo Contendre (or No Contest)  - This plea means that you are "not contesting" the offense.  You are not admitting that you committed the offense nor are you denying it either.  However, you understand that you will still be responsible for paying the applicable fine plus all court costs.  A "no contest" plea may not be used at a subsequent civil trial as evidence of guilt.

For a Schedule of Acceptable Window Fines and Court Costs -   Click here to download (pdf document).  Window Fines and Court Costs are the fines and court costs that have been established by the Judge as acceptable to be paid  by a Defendant when the case is disposed of outside of trial.

Payment Plan Arrangements - Time payment agreements are available in certain instances, but there is an additional $25.00 fee added to the fine.  The additional fee is required by State Law and cannot be waived by the Court.  To request payment plan arrangements to satisfy payment of a Class C misdemeanor offense, you must be at least 18 years of age, and appear in person with photo identification.  

Community Service - Performing community service to satisfy payment of the fine portion of your citation may be available in certain instances.  In most instances, you will not be allowed to discharge court costs by performing community service.  You will be required to fill out an application and will be scheduled for an indigency hearing by the Clerk of the Court in order to determine whether or not you meet the criteria to be eligible to perform community service to discharge your fine. 

 

If you are a JUVENILE or a MINOR charged with a Tobacco or Alcohol related offense, DO NOT MAIL PAYMENT.  Please contact the Court for information regarding your appearance. 

     Juveniles (ages 10-16) MUST APPEAR IN COURT WITH A PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN.  Notification of the hearing date and time will be mailed to the defendant's address.

     Alcohol or Tobacco by a Minor Offenses (Ages 17-20) MUST APPEAR IN COURT.  You must contact the Court on or before the date shown on your citation, to schedule a hearing before the Court, and notification of the hearing date and time will be mailed to the defendant's address.

FAILURE TO APPEAR OR PAY YOUR FINE WILL RESULT IN AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF EITHER FAILURE TO APPEAR OR VIOLATION OF PROMISE TO APPEAR WHICH CARRIES A MAXIMUM PENALTY OF $500.00.  IN ADDITION, YOU MAY BE PREVENTED FROM REGISTERING YOUR MOTOR VEHICLE, DENIED RENEWAL OF YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE AND WARRANTS WILL BE ISSUED FOR YOUR ARREST.  A TELEPHONE CALL TO THE COURT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN APPEARANCE.

Dismissals Allowed by Statute Are:

        JUDGES MAY NOT DISMISS CITATIONS, UNLESS SUCH DISMISSAL IS SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZED BY LAW.  The following are certain circumstances when a dismissal is       authorized by law, and the judge may at its discretion dismiss your citation.

Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility (Insurance) -  you must provide a copy of a valid insurance policy that was in effect on the date and at the time that you received your citation.  Insurance will be verified by the clerk's office with the issuing insurance company, and such proof must be presented prior on or before the date indicated on your citation for you to appear in court.

Failure to Present Driver's License - You must present to the court a valid driver's license that was issued to you prior to the date and time of issuance of the citation.  Proof of the valid driver's license must also be presented to the court on or before the date indicated on your citation for you to appear in court. 

Expired Driver's License (Tex.Trans.Code 521.026) - (1) You must renew your license within ten (10) working days of receiving the citation; (2) you must present the renewed license to the court within fourteen (14) business days of receiving the citation; and (3) you must pay a $20.00 administrative fee at the time of your request for dismissal.  FAILURE TO PAY THE FEE AND/OR PROVIDE PROOF WITHIN THE TIME PRESCRIBED WILL FORFEIT YOUR RIGHT TO A DISMISSAL.

Expired Registration (Tex.Trans.Code 502.407) - (1) You must get the vehicle registered within ten (10) working days of receiving the citation; (2) within fourteen (14) days of the citation, you must present the receipt of registration to the court showing that you have paid any late charges required by the Tax Assessor Collector's Office; and (3) you must pay a $20.00 administrative fee at the time of your request for dismissal.  FAILURE TO PAY THE FEE AND/OR PROVIDE PROOF WITHIN THE TIME PRESCRIBED WILL FORFEIT YOUR RIGHT TO A DISMISSAL.

Expired Inspection Sticker (tex.Trans.Code 548.605) - (1) The inspection sticker on the vehicle cannot be expired for more than sixty (60) days from the date of the citation; (2) you must get the vehicle inspected within ten (10) working days of the citation; (3) within fourteen (14) days of the citation, you must present the receipt showing proof of the vehicle inspection to the court for examination; and (4)  you must pay a $20.00 admiinistrative fee at the time of the request for dismissal.  The Court will not enter the parking lot to view your sticker.  FAILURE TO PAY THE FEE AND/OR PROVIDE PROOF WITHIN THE TIME PRESCRIBED WILL FORFEIT YOUR RIGHT TO A DISMISSAL.

IMPORTANT! ALL DOCUMENTS PRESENTED TO THE MUNICIPAL COURT (INCLUDING INSURANCE AND DRIVER'S LICENSES) ARE VERIFIED.  FILING A FRAUDULENT AND/OR ALTERED DOCUMENT WITH A COURT IS A FELONY.  

Responsibility - It is the responsibility of all persons with business before the Court to determine the date, time and nature of each setting of their case(s) and to update or notify the Court of any changes of address of the Defendant and/or of counsel for the Defendant.

Notices from the Court - notices mailed from the Court will be addressed to the last known address of a party and/or counsel for the party.  A copy of each notice will be properly filed and maintained with the Court's file.

Conduct Required of all Persons Attending Court or Conducting Business with the Court:

        1.  No smoking or use of tobacco products, including snuff or chewing tobacco;

        2.  No reading of extraneous materials, such as books, newspapers or magazines;

        3.  No propping feet or sitting on tables, railings, or on the backs of benches or chairs;

        4.  No loud noises;

        5.  No eating of food, drinking of beverages, or chewing and/or popping of gum;

        6.  No standing in the Courtroom, unless there is not adequate seating available and in no instances is standing allowed in front of the Bailiff or in front of the Bench, except when addresssing the Court, or by direction fo the Judge, or as necessitated by the business of the Court;

        7.  No gestures, facial expressions, or sounds indicating approval or disapproval of a ruling by the Court or a comment of a witness;

        8.  No inappropriate attire, including shorts, tank tops, sleeveless shirts, t-shirts, low pants with underwear showing, and/or inappropriate "message" shirts.

        9.  No small children in the courtroom and no unattended children in the courtroom;

      10.  No cellular telephons are to ring and no pagers are to sound int he courtroom.  Cellular telephones and pages must be silenced;

      11.  No hats or head coverings including scarves, bandanas or do-rags shall be worn in the courtroom unless such items are religious in nature; and 

      12.  No person other than the Judge who is presiding, or a peace officer who has a current appropriate license shall possess a weapon in the courthouse.

                   ANYONE CAUSING DISTRUPTION IN THE COURTROOM OR WHILE CONDUCTING BUSINESS WITH THE COURT WILL BE IMMEDIATELY ASKED TO LEAVE THE COURT. 

Complaint - a copy of the Complaint will be made available to the Defendant and/or Defendant's counsel upon request to the Court. A self-addressed stamped envelope must be provided to the Court by the Defendant and/or its counsel. 

Motions filed with the Court: 

       Motion for Continuance - All motions for continuance must be in writing and shall be filed with the Court at least three (3) working days prior to the scheduled court date.  Such motions shall be filed immediately upon discovering the necessity for the continuance.  Motions for Continuance require reasonable basis in fact and will not be granted for delay purposes, but only to ensure that justice is done.  In all cases the ruling on a Motion for Continuance shall be the discretion of the Judge of the Court.

       If a Defendant's Motion for Continuance is denied, in order the for the Defendant to avoid a warrant, a bond int he amount set by the court may be required to be posted, at the discretion of the Judge.  It is the responsibility of the Defendant to determine whether the Motion was granted or denied and to determine whether a bond is required.  If a State's Motion for Continuance is denied, the case will proceed to trial, plea or other disposition.

      Motions to Withdraw - Any attorney who makes an appearance on behalf of a Defendant or represents to the Court htat he/she is the attorney of record for a party shall continue to be considered by the Court as the attorney of record for that Defendant until a Motion to Withdraw as Counsel is filed by that attorney and is granted by the Court.

      Withdrawal Without a Hearing - A Motion to Withdraw as Counsel for Defendant may be granted without a hearing only if the moving attorney obtains an agreement by the State and files a verified certificate stating the last known mailing address of the Defendant and files along with the Motion a written consent to the withdrawal signed by the client which consent acknowledges that the Defendant has been advised of all future court settings.

      Pre-trial Motions - Pre-trial motions shall be filed in writing with the Court and a copy of same shall be forwarded by the Defendant and/or Defendant's counsel to the prosecuting attorney.  All motions must be relevant and specific as to the case involved.  A hearing on any Motions filed with the Court may be required by the Judge of the Court, and any requests for a hearing must be approved by the Judge of the Court.  Failure to file pretrial Motions as indicated herein shall constitute a waiver of having those issues heard before trial.  Unless leave of court has been granted, all pretrial Motions shall be filed at least 14 days prior to the trial date, and responses thereto, if any, shall be filed at least 7 days prior to the trial date.  If a pretrial Motion has not been ruled upon before the trial date, such Motion shall be heard on the date of trial.  Service of a Motion or Response may be made as provided by law.  Each Motion or Response shall contain a certificate of service signed by the Movant indicating that a copy of such Motion or Response has been served upon the opposing party; the manner of service; and the date of service.

      Case settings -  a Defendant and/or its counsel may request that the case be set for a trial by jury or a trial before the Court.  

      Post Trial Proceedings -  Pro Se defendants are admonished, due to the inherent complexities of appellate law, to seriously consider retaining counsel to represent them on appeal.

      Inability to Pay Fine - If a Defendant does not appeal the Court's decision, but claims indigency, the Defendant must comple a form approved by the Court and request a hearing on the motion.