Frequently Asked Questions...
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- Can
I change by Court date?
- Is
there a warrant out for my arrest?
- When
am I scheduled for court?
- When
is a prisoner going to Court
- What
is the disposition of a case?
- Do
we have service on a civil case?
- What
is the filing fee?
- How
much is my traffic citation?
- My
jail date is coming up can I have an extension?
- Can
I speak to the Judge?
- Does
the Judge perform marriages?
- What
kind of payments do you accept?
- How
can I contact the Bureau of Motor Vehicles?
- What
is the phone number for the Ashtabula License Bureau
- What
is the phone number for the Ashtabula County Public Defenders Office?
- I
was served a subpoena, what should I do?
- What
is the balance on my back fines?
- What
is the phone number for the Ashtabula Court of Common Pleas
- How
can I obtain driving privileges?
- I
didn’t have insurance at the time of my citation is it to late for me to
purchase it?
- I
have a default hearing scheduled. Do I have to appear?
- Do
I have to obtain an attorney?
- Can
I file by own eviction?
- I
posted the bond for someone can I have it back?
- I
won my small claims. Why
can’t the Court make the Defendant pay?
Can I change my
Court date?
If you are scheduled for traffic court, we grant a one (1)
week continuance over the phone. If
you need more than one (1) week, you are to come to the office and sign a
continuance form.
If you are scheduled for a Pre-trial or trial, the court
rule is that the request must be in writing and at least three (3) days in
advance. The continuance requested
is then given to the Judge and he will grant it or deny the motion.
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Is there
a warrant out for my arrest?
If you call and ask us we will tell you whether there is
one or not. We will not recall it
until you appear either voluntarily or arrested by the arresting agency.
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When am I
scheduled for Court?
We will give you this information over the phone, but you
can also look it up on our web site. If
you call the office, we need your name, SSN, or Case No.
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When is a
prisoner going to Court?
On each working day, we take care of prisoners that were
arrested the night before. We
usually cannot give you a definite time. On Monday and Wednesdays we usually
hear their cases around 11:00 a.m. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, we have
them brought up in between our cases that are scheduled for the day.
We try our best to give you an approximate time, it all depends on how
busy we are and how many prisoners are in jail.
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What is the
disposition of a case?
Since it is public information, we will give you the
information over the phone. You can
also look it up on the web site and we do have a public terminal.
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Do we have
service on a civil case?
If an attorney’s office calls with a case number, we will
give you the information. You can look this up on our Web site also.
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What is the filing
fee?
All fees are posted to the Web, but we will also give you
this information over the phone.
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How much is
my traffic citation?
This information is also posted on the Web. If what you are
cited for something that is not with this information you may call the office
and will give you the amount.
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My
jail date is coming up can I have an extension?
We do give extensions on jail dates. You must put your
request in writing explaining why. Also
make sure you call the County Jail or the City Jail on the day you are to report
to make sure there is room for you. If
there is not please follow the procedure the jail administrator gives you for a
new jail date.
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Can I speak to the
Judge?
Everyone wants to speak to the Judge.
He cannot speak to you about any case that is pending in the Court.
Each deputy clerk is willing to try and help you with your problem and if
the Judge needs to know anything the deputy clerk will speak to the Judge for
you and have an answer as soon as we can.
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Does the
Judge perform marriages?
Yes, Judge Camplese will marry you.
You should call and make an appointment.
Please make sure you have our marriage license, and you get that in
Jefferson at the Probate Court. If
you come without any witnesses someone from the office will witness the
ceremony.
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What kind
of payments do you accept?
We prefer cash, but we do accept money orders, bank checks,
personal checks, and credit cards (Visa and MasterCard).
We only accept credit cards at the clerk’s window.
If you pay for a citation, pay on a fine or post bond at
the police department, they only accept cash.
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How
can I contact the Bureau of Motor Vehicles?
The phone numbers and address are:
Toledo Area
Cleveland Area
4452 Heatherdowns Blvd.
5745 Chevrolet Blvd.
Toledo, Oh 43614
Parma, Oh 44130
419-245-3010
216-787-3040
Youngstown Area
Cincinnati Area
Plaza Place
1236 W. Kemper Rd
101 Federal Plaza, East
Cincinnati, Oh 45240
Youngstown, Oh 44503-1846
513-742-7535
330-742-5100
Columbus (Main Office)
4300 Kimberly Parkway
Columbus, Oh 43232
614-752-7500
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What
is the phone number for the Ashtabula License Bureau?
The license bureaus number is (440) 964-7665.
There address is 2149 West Avenue
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What
is the phone number for the Ashtabula County Public Defenders office?
There phone number is (440) 998-2628.
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I
was served with a subpoena, what should I do?
If the bailiff served you with a subpoena, and you have
questions about it, please contact the City Solicitors office, 992-7101.
That is the office that said they needed you for a particular case.
We only do the paper work and we do not have any information about the
case.
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What is
the balance on my back fines?
We will give you this information; we just need your name.
The balance we give you will be total of all fines and court costs owing.
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What
is the phone number for the Ashtabula Court of Common Pleas?
There number is 576-3637.
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How can I
obtain driving privileges?
To obtain driving privileges, we need some information from
you. Also the Judge cannot always grant driving privileges.
If you are eligible, make sure you have proof of insurance, employment,
school, doctor’s appointments or any other necessity that you would need to
drive to. Please put all of this information in writing.
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I
didn’t have insurance at the time of my citation is it to late for me to
purchase it?
It would be too late if you already received a citation.
You will get your license suspended for 90 days on your first offense.
You do need to purchase it. In
Ohio all drivers are supposed to be insured.
When you renew your license the license bureau has you sign a document
saying you have insurance.
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I
have a default hearing scheduled. Do I have to appear?
In civil cases, they are all scheduled for default hearings
unless you answer it. If you
don’t deny you owe the money on the day it is scheduled for default a judgment
will be signed by the Judge no matter if you appear or not. We do suggest you contact the attorney and try to make
arrangements if you owe the money. Once
the Judge signs a judgment the plaintiff will try and collect the money, by
garnishing your wages, attaching your bank account or putting a lien on your
property. If you deny you owe the
amount or the claim altogether put this in writing within 28 days of receiving
your civil summons and send us the original, a copy to the attorney and keep a
copy for yourself. This case will
then be set for Pre-trial.
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Do I have to
obtain an attorney?
You are constitutionally guaranteed the right to represent
yourself in court. You cannot represent another person or business entity unless
you are an attorney. If you choose to represent yourself you will be expected to
present yourself and your case within the Rules established by the Court and the
law. The Clerk’s office cannot
give you legal advice, and the Judges and Magistrates cannot give you legal
advice. If you have any questions, you should contact an attorney.
In a criminal/traffic case you may request the Ashtabula
County Public Defenders Office to represent you. We have indigency forms here at the office.
You must fill it out answering all questions, on the total income of the
household. The Judge will then look it over to see whether or not you qualify
for a public defender. Please do this on your arraignment date.
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Can
I file my own eviction?
Yes, if you know the proper procedures.
The deputy clerks cannot give you any legal advice.
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I
posted the bond for someone can I have it back?
All 10% bonds are in the defendant’s name. You are told
that at the time it is posted. When
the case is over, the bond will be returned less 10% and the check will be in
the defendant’s name. The judge
does order some bonds to be applied to the fine.
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I
won my small claims. Why can’t
the Court make the Defendant pay?
The Court cannot make the defendant pay you.
The role of the Court is to determine whether or not you are entitled to
the money for which you sued. If
the defendant does not pay the judgment, the court will give you the information
about wage garnishments and bank attachments. There are additional fees when you
file a garnishment or bank attachment. The extra costs do get added to your
judgment.
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