The Pennsylvania district court system is comprised of numerous different district courts, sometimes called magisterial courts, that are located throughout the state. Each county, including Delaware County, has several different district courts that represent different townships or boroughs within the county.
District courts handle specific types of cases. As well as landlord tenant disputes, municipal code violations, and small civil claims, district courts primarily hear summary criminal offenses and traffic violations. Common examples of summary criminal offenses are criminal mischief, shoplifting, disorderly conduct, underage drinking, loitering, and harassment. Common examples of traffic violations are speeding, driving with a suspended license, running a stop sign or a red light, failure to yield, and certain instances of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
If you were arrested, or if you were given a citation, for one of these kinds of offenses in Delaware County, the next step in the process is to appear in your local district court to present your case before the district, or magisterial, judge. The judge will preside over your arraignment, your preliminary criminal proceeding, your traffic hearing, or your non-jury trial. After you have had all of the necessary hearings and proceedings, the judge will determine whether you will be convicted of the offenses you have been charged with, and what punishment or sentence you will face if you are in fact convicted. This is why you should take your court date seriously and contact our offices right away.
Yeadon District Court
The district court in Yeadon, District Court 32-2-47, serves both the East Lansdowne and Yeadon areas of Delaware County. The address of the court is 536 Church Lane in Yeadon. If you need to get in touch with the court, you should call their phone at 610-259-8848 or send a fax to 610-259-8920. The judge who presides over this district court is the Honorable Judge W. Keith Williams, II, Esquire.
Judge Williams will decide what punishment you will face if you are convicted in district court. Unfortunately, the punishments that go with these offenses can be high. You and your family may have to pay a fine of up to $300, and you may even have to spend time in prison. Your sentence could be as high as 90 days for your first offense, and as high as 180 days if you have previously been convicted in district court. This is why you need to take your district court proceeding seriously.
Call our offices as soon as you can when you receive your district court date. This will make sure that you and your attorney have time to prepare before you have to appear for your arraignment, trial, or hearing. Then, your attorney can help you prepare a strong defense to convince Judge Williams to at least reduce your penalty, if not dismiss your case entirely.
Do not let a simple and relatively minor offense force you and your family to have to pay hundreds of dollars and put you behind bars. Contact an attorney right away. Our years of experience with district court cases can be your greatest ally in your district court proceeding.