Court Procedures

Continuances

A defendant or his/her attorney may request and be granted one continuance to the next scheduled court date as long as witnesses have not been subpoenaed. Please call the Municipal Court Clerk to request a continuance. Continuances shall be submitted no later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled court date. Additional continuances will only be granted by the Judge and will require a personal appearance in Court. Failure to appear in court or continue your court summons by the assigned court date will result in the issuance of a warrant for your arrest.

Traffic Violations

If you have received a ticket for an ordinance violation listed on the Schedule of Fines, you may follow the instructions below to plead guilty prior to your court date and avoid appearing in court.

1. Sign the Appearance, Plea of Guilty, and Waiver on the back of the Ticket/Summons you received
2. Pay the designated Fine and Court Costs by either Cash, Money Order, or Debit/Credit Card. Court costs for each case are set by Missouri State Law and must be included even if you do not personally appear in Court.
3. Submit your plea and payment in person or by mail prior to your court date payable to the City of Odessa at 228 S 2nd Street, Odessa, MO 64076.

Pleading Guilty or Not Guilty

You may enter a plea of not guilty if you feel that you did not violate the ordinance with which you are charged, if you are uncertain whether you violated it, or for any other reason you wish to enter a plea of not guilty. If you plead not guilty, your case will be held until after all of the cases are called and all the guilty pleas are taken. The Court will then have trials for everyone who has pleaded not guilty.

You may enter a plea of guilty if you feel that what you did violated the ordinance with which you are charged. If you plead guilty, the Court will hear what you have to say about your charge. You may also explain the circumstances in your case.

Penalty

The Court can set penalties in Municipal Court with a fine from $1 to $500 and jail from one day to 90 days. In most cases, the penalty will be a fine and not jail. Fines are due in full at the time of Court. If a defendant does not have money to pay a fine, he/she must advise the Court when first called. The Court will allow the use of a phone or in some cases may continue the case. If your case is continued to save money for a fine, you will be required to return to Court.