The purpose of the arraignment is to inform you of the charge against you and to take your plea. You promised to appear at your arraignment date when you signed the ticket issued to you by the officer. Your arraignment date appears at the top of your citation and if you do not plead on all charges shown on the ticket by the appearance date or at the Pre-Warrant hearing, you may expect an arrest warrant to be issued and a $ 50 warrant fee to be added to your fine upon conviction. A defendant may not present their testimony at the Arraignment Hearing, only proof of compliance for the charges listed. Testimonies will only be heard at trial.

Direct Procedure

The process will generally follow these steps:

1. When you enter the courtroom, please sign in with the Court bailiff. Your case will be called in the order in which you were received, first-come, first-served.
2. The judge will advise you of the charge and request your plea. Testimony regarding the facts of the case will not be heard.
3. Declare your plea, if you:
   • Plead guilty/nolo contendere, you will be fined by the judge
   • Plead not guilty, and request a trial, the judge will ask you if you want a trial by judge or jury and if you would like a court reporter to take a record of the proceedings
   • If you refuse to plea, a plea of not guilty shall be entered by the court.
   • Present Affirmative Defenses if you received a violation for:
     – Failure To Maintain Financial Responsibility
     – A driver’s license violation
     – A vehicle registration violation
     – A vehicle inspection sticker violation
     – An animal regulation violation
     – Or a defective vehicle equipment violation

You can present documents that prove compliance with the law and upon review of the documents the City Prosecutor will make a recommendation to the judge regarding the disposition of the case.

On the date specified on your ticket, you must appear at:

• Northeast El Paso Municipal Court
  Anytime between 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 PM – 3:00 p.m.
  *Courtroom doors will closed promptly at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
  and no one will be admitted to the courtroom past 3:00 p.m.

Video Arraignment Office Locations

Video arraignment is a feature offered as customer service for citizens living in the various locations in the city. This option allows customers to save time, reduce travel and save gas. Locations for video arraignment are:

10780-A Pebble Hills Pebble Hills Command Offices/a>
9011 Escobar - Mission Valley Command Offices
4801 Osborne - Westside Command Offices
(CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE)

Video Arraignment Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. (Monday - Friday)

On the date of your arraignment as shown on your citation, you can choose to utilize our Video Arraignment System for your hearing. You can choose one of the bond offices closest to you from the list above. If you have any evidence to present, please have this on hand for your hearing.

On the date of your arraignment go any time during video arraignment hours of operation:

1. Check in with cashier
2. Cashier will alert the judge of your presence. (Judge will connect with defendants in the order as they come in)
3. When it is your turn, the cashier will dial in to the judge using the video conferencing equipment.
4. You will stand in front of a camera, where you'll see the Judge live on a screen, and they will see you on their end.
5. At this point, they will hear your plea or view any evidence you might have to present. If you have documents to show, there is a document camera where you will place the evidence. The cashier is there to assist if you have questions.
6. Once the judge has finalized your hearing, please see the cashier to get a copy of what happened with your case.

The Video Arraignment System like any technology, is prone to technical difficulties. Please plan accordingly.