Tree Ablao, Judge
Mandy Gowan, Court Clerk
| Court: | Eaton Municipal Court | Phone: 970-454-2212 |
| 223 1st Street | Fax: 970-454-3339 | |
| Eaton, Colorado 80615 | ||
| Prosecuting Attorney: | Avi Rocklin | Phone: 970-419-8226 |
| 19 Old Town Square, Suite 238 | ||
| Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 |
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Court Clerk Office |
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| The Eaton Municipal Court Clerk position is a combined position with the Eaton Police Department records division. You may reach the Court Clerk at 970-454-2212 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (excluding legal holidays) | ||
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Court Location |
| The Eaton Municipal Court is held in the Eaton Municipal Building located at 223 1st Street in Eaton. Court sessions are held in the Municipal Auditorium on the west end of the building. |
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Court Sessions |
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The Eaton Municipal Court is held the first and third Thursdays of each month (excluding legal holidays).Court sessions begin at 1:30 in the afternoon. Defendants may check in for court beginning at 1:00 p.m. Defendants are seen on a first come first served basis according to the time of check-in. Trial sessions, hearings and reviews are scheduled separately at times designated by the Court. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, all Eaton Municipal Court sessions are open to the general public. _______________________________________________________________________ |
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Payment of Fines |
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| Defendants may pay their assessed fines anytime before their scheduled court date. If a fine amount is indicated on the face of your summons, you may send in that fine in lieu of court appearance. However, is there is no fine indicated on the face of the summons, this requires an appearance in court on your designated court date. if you choose to mail in the fine, follow the instructions on the reverse of the summons you received. You must understand that paying the fine indicates your desire to plead guilty to the charge and no further hearings would be heard on your case. If the summons is for a violation of the Model Traffic Code, a report of the conviction would be entered an points assess against your driver's license. | ||||||
Fines may be paid by the following methods:
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| All Payments must be made payable to the Eaton Municipal Court, 224 1st Street, Eaton, Colorado 80615. To assure proper credit, please enclose a copy of your summons with the payment. Any check that is issued to the Court for assessed fines that is returned as non-sufficient funds or account closed will result in a warrant for your arrest and possible new charges of check fraud. |
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Arraignments and Trials |
| Your first appearance in court is known as an arraignment. This hearing is when the Judge will advise you of your rights. After the reading of the rights, the Defendant will be asked to plead guilty or not guilty to the charges. The Prosecuting Attorney will be present before court to discuss your case. The prosecutor may be willing to enter into a plea agreement with the Defendant. The Defendant is under no obligation to enter into such an agreement. If a Defendant truly believes that they are not guilty, they should enter a not guilty plea and request a trial in the case. |
| Trials are set by the Court at the arraignment. In most cases, the Judge hears trials. However, a Defendant may request a jury trial. By Municipal Code, the case must involve a possible jail sentence in order to be heard by a jury, otherwise the Judge will hear the case. The jury usually consists of three members, unless otherwise requested by the Defendant, not to exceed six persons. A Jury Trial is assessed additional fees. |
| If you are going to have a trial, you may have third parties issued a subpoena. In order to request a party to receive a subpoena, you must contact the Eaton Municipal Court Clerk. The Clerk will make out the Subpoena, however the Defendant is responsible for the service and delivery of the subpoena to the party. |
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Automatic Point Reduction |
| For violations of the Model Traffic Code, the Eaton Town Board has approved an automatic point reduction system. This is essentially a plea agreement situation. It requires that the Defendant pay their fine within 20 days of the issue of the summons. If the Court Clerk receives the payment within the 20 days, the number of points assessed against your license will be reduced automatically. Two points will be taken away from any violation with more that four points. Any two-point violation will be reduced to one point. For example, a six-point violation paid within 20 days would become a four-point assessment. |
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Continuances and Deferred Payments |
| If you wish to continue your case to a later court date or make deferred payments, you must appear before the Judge to receive approval from the Court. |