Gulfport City Municipal Court
The Gulfport City Municipal Court is located at the Robert J. Curry Public Safety Center, 2218 15th Street, Gulfport, MS. The Municipal Court is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Gulfport Municipal Court is the busiest city court in the entire state, in terms of volume. The Gulfport City Municipal Court has jurisdiction over misdemeanor crimes, municipal ordinances, city traffic violations, and civil domestic protective orders, but does not have jurisdiction over felony criminal cases or juvenile criminal arrests with the exception of juvenile traffic offenses, juvenile DUI, liquor, and tobacco violations and for juveniles certified as an adult or who were previously arrested as an adult. Judges at the Gulfport City Municipal Court are Judge Kirk Clark and Judge R. Fant Walker.
The schedule for the Gulfport Municipal Court is as follows:
- Monday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. are jail arraignments from the Harrison County Adult Detention Center.
- Tuesday mornings at 8:30 a.m. are the private affidavit DUI arraignments, and drug trials.
- Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 are general arraignments.
- Wednesday mornings at 8:30 a.m. are general arraignments and DUI trials.
- Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. are private affidavit trials & review.
- Thursday mornings at 8:30 a.m. are domestic violence trials reviews and arraignments.
- Thursday afternoons at 12:30 p.m. are open court VOP, warrant, walk-in, attorney pleas, and contempt.
- Thursday afternoons at 1:30 are general trials for traffic and misdemeanors.
- Friday mornings at 8:30 a.m. are drug arraignments and general trials for traffic and misdemeanors.
- Friday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. are jail arraignments for Harrison County Adult Detention Center.
Differences Between Felonies and Misdemeanors
Misdemeanor offenses are typically less serious than felony offenses. In the state of Mississippi, misdemeanor offenses include such offenses as possession of fewer than 30 grams of marijuana, carrying a concealed weapon, simple battery, petty theft, shoplifting items worth less than $500, and DUI. Punishments for misdemeanor criminal offenses in the state of Mississippi are up to one year in jail and fines not to exceed $1,000. Those who are sentenced to jail time for their misdemeanor offense will serve their sentence in either a County or City Jail, rather than the Mississippi State Penitentiary, which is reserved for felony charges.
A felony conviction, by contrast, can result in years—or even life—in prison in the State Penitentiary as well as extremely large fines. While a misdemeanor conviction does not result in the loss of a person’s right to vote and does not result in the denial of a professional license, many felony convictions do. (Although there are some professional organizations that may choose to revoke a professional license because of a misdemeanor conviction). While a felony conviction will likely stay on an individual’s record for life, many misdemeanor convictions can be expunged, which removes all history of the arrest, trial, and conviction from public records. Once the misdemeanor conviction is expunged, the individual may legally state on future job applications that they have never been arrested or convicted of the expunged criminal offense.
A misdemeanor offense usually begins when a police officer writes a ticket or signs an affidavit which swears he or she witnessed the person committing the crime. When charged with a misdemeanor, the individual may be arrested and taken before a judge, at which time bail will be set. The individual charged must either put up a cash bond in the entire amount of the bail or pay a bondsman 10 percent of the face amount of the bail—if the person fails to appear, the full amount of the bond must be paid. For a misdemeanor offense, bail is the rule rather than the exception. An initial appearance—where a plea will be entered—will take place in court after the individual is released from jail. A felony offense will either have no bond (depending on the offense) or a much higher bond than a misdemeanor offense.
Contact Our Gulfport Criminal Defense Lawyers
If you have been arrested on felony or misdemeanor criminal charges in the state of Mississippi, it is crucial that you speak to a knowledgeable Gulfport criminal defense attorney who will ensure your rights are properly protected.
At Coxwell & Associates, PLLC, our attorneys believe in fighting aggressively for our clients, and we can build a defense that is designed to expose the holes in the prosecution’s case against you. Contact Coxwell & Associates today at (601) 265-7766.
