PETTY OFFENSE TRIALS

Judge Urbanski usually hears Petty Offense cases on the first and third Thursday of every month in the third floor courtroom in the Poff Federal Building in Roanoke.

Defendants who appear on optional appearance Violation Notices without requesting a hearing or notifying the court in advance of their plan to appear and contest the charge may have their cases continued over to the next court docket to allow for the presence of the charging officer.

Defendants in Petty Offense cases may appear without counsel, but if they choose to do so, must execute a counsel waiver form, a copy of which may be found on this website.

If a defendant in a Petty Offense case wishes to retain counsel, one continuance is routinely granted to allow a defendant to do so. If a defendant cannot afford an attorney and the United States is seeking jail time, the court can appoint the Federal Public Defender or a Criminal Justice Act panel attorney. A financial affidavit (CJA 23) must be completed before counsel may be appointed. The CJA 23 Form may be found on this website.

Petty Offenses are Class B misdemeanors. Cases are tried by the court without a jury. The maximum possible penalty is up to six (6) months imprisonment and/or up to a $5,000 fine.  A $10 Mandatory Special Assessment is imposed on all convictions.  For charges filed on Violation Notices processed through the Central Violations Bureau, there is an additional $25 processing fee on each conviction. A period of probation or restitution also may be ordered. Judgments in Petty Offense cases involving moving traffic violations are reported to the state Division of Motor Vehicles.