If you’re arrested on a warrant or given a summons to appear in court your case is more than likely going to originate in the Loudoun County General District Court. This holds true for felony offenses as well as misdemeanors, the case may not go to a full trial in that court but the General District Court is likely where you and your Loudoun County criminal lawyer are going to start out.
Similar to misdemeanor matters and preliminary hearings for felony matters, traffic matters are all heard in the Loudoun County General District Court. If you have an adverse outcome and choose to appeal, your matter will be heard in Circuit Court.
If you’re arrested in Loudoun County and charged with a misdemeanor offense or a felony offense, then you are most likely going to be taken to Loudoun County Adult Detention Center which is located off Sycolin Road in Leesburg near the Leesburg Airport.
Depending on the type of offense and where in the county it occurs, you may be taken to a local police office substation. In addition, if you’re arrested in a town you may be taken to that town police station initially.
However, after the initial arrest is made more likely than not you’ll be taken to Loudoun County Adult Detention Center and then taken before the magistrate at the same location.
After the charges are filed for a misdemeanor case, you will be given a court date, that court date is known as a first return or an advisement or sometimes called an arraignment. At this court date in Loudoun County, you will not have a trial; rather, it will give you and your attorney an opportunity to view most of the evidence against you and decide what your potential options are. Depending on the nature of the offense, you may be able to work out your case on that first court date.
If you’re charged with a more serious crime which is felony, then at the first court date the magistrate or the arresting officer will give you is an arraignment date. That arraignment typically occurs at 11:15 a.m. in the Loudoun County General District Court. At that time the court will only want to know one question and that is if you are going to hire a private attorney or ask the court to consider you for a court appointed counsel. After that question is taken care of the court will set your matter for a preliminary hearing and let you know that next date.
Northern Virginia Criminal Defense Group