LEAWOOD MUNICIPAL COURT LAWYER
Leawood is a moderately sized city in the State of Kansas and one of the bigger cities in Johnson County. Leawood covers a substantial geographic area and extends as far south as Iron Horse Golf Course and as far north as Somerset Drive. Additionally, Leawood is bordered by Prairie Village to the north, Overland Park to the west and Kansas City to the north.
Two criteria must be met for the Leawood Municipal Court to hear a case: (1) the alleged violation must have occurred inside the city limits of Leawood; and (2) the violation charged is a city ordinance violation. Examples of frequently charged city ordinance violations include DUI, driving on a suspended license, marijuana possession, trespass, theft, minor in possession of alcohol and a few other “code” violations. Generally, code violations deal with the maintenance and upkeep of Leawood residence’s homes and businesses.
A large shopping center known as “Town Center” is located in Leawood. Since the shopping center has many retail stores and restaurants, a fair amount of theft cases occur in the Leawood municipal court. Also, since Leawood has a small stretch of interstate 435 within its borders, the Leawood police regularly patrol that area, which produces a large number of drug and DUI related charges.
Courthouse: The Leawood Municipal courthouse is located a few blocks east of Roe off Town Center Drive. The Leawood Police Department and Courthouse share the building together. Additionally, the Courthouse contains one large courtroom which seats over 100 people and contains a court clerk’s office located to the west of the courtroom. Court takes place on more than one day each week and officers are present to do a security screen whenever court is in session. Conversely, officers are not present for security screens when court is not session. The court clerk’s office is used to resolve minor court matters and is open during regular business hours. The courtroom is directly linked to various detention facilities in Johnson County by a multimedia set up. This multimedia set up is used so defendants can be seen on video without actually having to be brought the courthouse.
The address of the Leawood Municipal Court is: 4205 Town Center Dr. Leawood, KS 66211
Court Personnel
Judge: One primary judge hears all the cases in Leawood Municipal Court. The court does not have the ability to have cases heard in front of a jury so only the judge hears the cases.
The Judge in Leawood is: Jerry Merrill
Prosecutor: The city prosecutor’s office is the division of the Leawood City Attorney’s office that prosecutes crimes and is located in the same building as the courthouse. Generally, the city prosecutor is only able to talk about court matters while court is in session. It is the responsibility of the city prosecutor’s office to make charging decisions and prosecute alleged criminal acts. If the case is appealed, the city prosecutor follows the case to District Court. Leawood currently has two full-time prosecutors.
The Prosecutor in Leawood is: Marcy Knight
Court Clerk: The court clerk’s office handles all of the administrative tasks of the Leawood Municipal Court and occupies a large part of the first floor of the courthouse. Around six people work in the court clerk’s office and they keep the court’s schedule, accept monies on behalf of the court, schedule court dates and perform other essential functions for the court.
The Court Administrator in Leawood is: Shelley Sayer
Court Security: Kansas courts require court security and Leawood puts much emphasis on court security and always has several security personnel on duty when court is in session. In addition to regulating the public while they are in court, court security transport defendants to and from custody facilities, check for weapons as court patrols come through the door, monitor court patrons for warrants and maintain order in the court when a judge is not present. A bailiff and at least one Leawood police officer are always present when court is in session.
Appealing from the Leawood Municipal Court: Leawood Municipal Court does not have the ability to provide a defendant with all the protections afforded by the United State’s Constitution because they are a court of limited jurisdiction. So, the Leawood Municipal Court’s final decision is generally not the final word on any given case. Therefore, the defendant may appeal if he or she is not happy with the decision of the municipal court. Moreover, the defendant must appeal in a timely manner, which is defined as within 14 days of sentencing in a municipal court. The first step in the appeal process is filing a notice of appeal with the municipal court and paying an appeal bond.
Obtaining Discovery on a Leawood Case: Every individual charged with a law violation in Leawood is allowed to conduct discovery. Brady v. Maryland outlines the constitutional protections one is entitled to when it comes to discovery. According to Brady, an individual is entitled to view all evidence that the city intends to use against them at trial and all the evidence the city has or can reasonably obtain that tends to prove the individual did not commit the offense. In short, an individual can see all of the city’s evidence. In Leawood, a defendant must follow a specific process to obtain discovery. This process includes going to the police station and filling out a form with the police records unit. Producing the evidence includes a small fee.
Leawood Specific Information: Every court has their own rules and processes set in place with regards to different aspects of the court and Leawood is no different. For example, Leawood has authorized certain providers for drug and alcohol evaluations. Additionally, Leawood has a specific provider they use for house arrest and a specific agency they use for CWIP programs.
What is the actual law in Leawood? The law varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Each city has their own laws and they may be slightly different than the State statute. Below are links to the actual text to some of the most commonly charged crimes in Leawood Municipal Court.