Tips on Going to Criminal Court in Tulsa, Bixby, Broken Arrow, Glenpool, Others

Tips on Going to Criminal Court in Tulsa, Bixby, Broken Arrow,

Glenpool, and Others.

By Glen R. Graham, Criminal Defense Attorney, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Phone: 918-583-4621   http://www.glenrgraham.com

Here are the things you can do to help yourself in any criminal court case or traffic case or drunk driving, dui, dwi, reckless driving, possession of marijuana, or drug charges in any court:

You are going to need a criminal defense attorney so go ahead and contact a good criminal defense attorney in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  My information is listed above.  A good criminal defense attorney can provide you with solid legal advice and obtain copies of the police report in your case and investigate your case for any flaws or mistakes  and file appropriate motions to suppress evidence and request for discovery.  Also, an attorney can help you obtain a temporary drivers license.  Some judges may require you to submit to a urine test for drugs at the court house if you are on probation and have an application to revoke or accelerate your probation to see if you violated probation.   This might be a good reason not to post bond on an application to revoke or accelerate probation because the judge will not do a drug test on you if you are in custody.  Some judges may require you to pass a urine test for drugs before they will consider allowing you to have probation and some judges will require you to have a drug and alcohol assessment before granting probation.

Bring the proper documentation

During your court trial, you or your attorney will have the opportunity to explain the facts of your case to the judge.   If you have proof of insurance or any relevant documentation, then you should provide it to your attorney.  You may want to obtain a drug and alcohol assessment.  In some cases, you may have medical or mental reports which might lessen the severity of the punishment and you should provide your attorney with copies of these reports.

Do not be late to court and do not miss a court date

Be on time to court. Leave early. There is limited parking space around the court house. Also, there is a lot of road construction going on right now which can cause you to be delayed. If you are reading this blog, then you should be able to use either mapquest or the google maps function to pull up the directions to the court house in Tulsa, Oklahoma, or other court houses. The address to the Tulsa County Court House is 500 S. Denver Ave., Tulsa, Oklahoma. Next door is the court for the municipal court of the city of Tulsa. The address of the Municipal Court - City of Tulsa is 600 Civic Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Do not miss a court date.  In a criminal case, not appearing for court may result in the court issuing a bench warrant for your arrest and may result in the suspension of your drivers license. You may also be held in contempt of court and/or prosecuted for jumping bond.

Go to the correct courtroom

Make sure you know which court you must appear in.  You can ask the information desk or the guard at the metal detector for directions.  You should find out the location and directions to the court house ahead of time so that you will not be late to court.

Dress appropriately

You should try to dress like you are innocent or at least show proper respect to the court.  You may not be allowed to enter certain court rooms if you are in SHORTS or TANK TOPS or SWIMSUITS or inappropriate attire.  Non-prescription dark glasses and hats must be removed once you enter the courtrooms.

Proper conduct is important

Please turn off your cellular phones and other electronic devices while inside the court room.  Your cell phone may be confiscated if it goes off inside the court room.  Smoking is not allowed in any public area of the court buildings. When court is in session, you should refrain from reading, talking, chewing gum, listening to personal radios, making distracting noises or any other inappropriate conduct.   The walls have ears and your voice may echo in the hallways which have no carpeting and your conversations may be over-heard by other people who you may not want to hear your conversation.

Several of the court buildings have metal detectors at their entrances

The purpose of the metal detectors is to provide protection for the public and court personnel. Any object which could be classified as illegal contraband such as illegal drugs or paraphernalia or  weapons, including pocketknives, cannot be brought into the building and will be confiscated by the Sheriff's Office until you leave the building.  Illegal weapons and/or drugs will be confiscated.

Phone calls may be recorded and you should always lock your cell phone

It is common practice now for all of the jails to record all conversations between the inmate and anyone else and this evidence may be used in court.  Your cell phone contains your personal information and you should have it locked with a secret password and never divulge this password to any law enforcement officer.  It is very common now to have the victim to call the suspect and to secretly record the conversation with the suspect.  Never admit to anything over the telephone with anyone.  Assume the telephone call is being secretly recorded.