St. Joseph County Indiana DUI DWI OWI OUI Lawyer Attorney

St. Joseph County (South Bend) Indiana DUI courts and procedures

© 2010 Paul Stanko. All rights reserved

I. Overview

St. Joseph County-1855 Courthouse - South Bend

St. Joseph County Main Courthouse - South Bend

DUI DWI OWI cases in St. Joseph County are filed in Superior Court in South Bend, which has jurisdiction over both misdemeanor and felony charges. Misdemeanor charges are handled by the Traffic and Misdemeanor magistrates in the 1855 Courthouse on Lafayette Boulevard, while felonies are handled by the Superior Court judges in the St. Joseph County Courthouse on Main Street.

II. Court-specific information

For your convenience, contact information concerning St. Joseph County's DUI courts is presented below:

SUPERIOR COURTS:

Mailing Address:

Superior Court

County Courthouse

101 S. Main St.

South Bend, IN 46601

Court Administrator:

Patricia Y. Evans

Phone: (574) 235-9893

Fax: (574) 245-6601

Judges:

Chief Judge John M. Marnocha

Phone: (574) 235-9769

Fax: (574) 235-5097

Roland W. Chamblee, Jr.

Phone: (574) 235-9051

Fax: (574) 245-6689

David C. Chapleau

Phone: (574) 235-9550

Fax: (574) 245-6691

Jerome Frese

Phone: (574) 235-9563

Fax: (574) 245-6690

William T. Means

Phone: (574) 235-9727

Fax: (574) 245-6692

Jane Woodward Miller

Phone: (574) 235-9542

Fax: (574) 245-6688

Michael P. Scopelitis

Phone: (574) 235-9591

Fax: (574) 245-6693

Magistrates:

Mailing Address:

1855 Courthouse

112 S. Lafayette

South Bend, IN 46601

Richard L. McCormick

Phone: (574) 245-6794

Fax: (574) 245-6728

Brian W. Steinke

Phone: (574) 245-6796

Fax: (574) 245-6728

III. Case Management, Procedures and Scheduling

A. Initial Hearing. At your initial hearing, the Judge or Magistrate officially informs you of your constitutional rights and the charges against you, enters your not guilty plea, orders discovery, and sets future court dates. You should never plead guilty at your initial hearing unless you have an attorney with you and have negotiated an acceptable plea agreement.

You must appear in court for your initial hearing whether you have an attorney or not.

Regardless whether your case is a misdemeanor or felony, it is wise to obtain DUI counsel before the initial hearing date.

B. Other Court Dates. If your case is not resolved at the Initial Hearing, subsequent hearings such as record dates and pretrial conferences will be set before any trial date. It is essential that you have counsel for any of these subsequent court dates.
(If you have been charged with a crime in Indiana, you should consider your options carefully, consult with one or more top criminal defense lawyers, then choose the best attorney for you and your situation. Your visit to this web site does not create an attorney-client relationship; an attorney-client relationship is only created by an agreement between you and a specific attorney or law firm for representation in your particular case. This web site does not provide legal advice.)

About Paul Stanko

Indiana DUI DWI OWI OUI drunk driving lawyer and criminal defense attorney Paul Stanko tried and won his first OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) case as a 23 year-old prosecutor in January 1979. That same year he successfully tried his first serious felony cases. He has practiced criminal law ever since, as a prosecutor, a Superior Court Judge, and now a DUI DWI OWI OUI drunk driving defense attorney and criminal defense lawyer. His familiarity with Indiana's criminal justice system, law enforcement tactics, forensic evidence and crime scene investigation, search and seizure, ballistics and firearms, field sobriety tests and BMV procedures is at your disposal and only a Toll-Free call away.

Primary counties served by Paul Stanko are St. Joseph County (South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Lakeville, New Carlisle, North Liberty, Notre Dame, Osceola, Walkerton, Wyatt), Marshall County (Plymouth, Argos, Bourbon, Bremen, Culver, Donaldson, Lapaz, Tippecanoe, Tyner), Lake County (Crown Point, East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Hobart, Lake Station, Whiting, Merrillville, Schererville, Lowell, Cedar Lake, Dyer, Griffith, Leroy, Munster, St John, Schneider, Shelby), Elkhart County (Elkhart, Goshen), Porter County (Valparaiso, Portage, Chesterton, Beverly Shores, Boone Grove, Hebron, Kouts, Ogden Dunes, Porter, Wheeler), La Porte County LaPorte County (La Porte, LaPorte, Michigan City, Westville), Jasper County (Rensselaer, Demotte, Fair Oaks, Remington, Tefft, Wheatfield), Tippecanoe County (Lafayette, West Lafayette), Newton County (Kentland), White County (Monticello), Fulton County (Rochester), Starke County (Knox, North Judson), Howard County (Kokomo), Miami County (Peru), Cass County (Logansport), Carroll County (Delphi), Clinton County (Frankfort), Grant County (Marion), Wabash County (Wabash), Kosciusko County (Warsaw), Ripley County (Versailles), Decatur County (Greensburg), and Pulaski County (Winamac).

Serious felony and DUI cases in other counties throughout Indiana are also accepted.

Paul Stanko is also an experienced appellate attorney, handling dozens of appeals in the Indiana Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

If you have been charged with a crime in Indiana, you should consider your options carefully, consult with one or more top criminal defense lawyers, then choose the best attorney for you and your situation. Your visit to this web site does not create an attorney-client relationship; an attorney-client relationship is only created by an agreement between you and a specific attorney or law firm for representation in your particular case. This web site does not provide legal advice.

Call: 888-778-2656
Email: indianadui@yahoo.com