The Plainfield Town Court began serving the community on September 5, 1989 with James Spencer presiding. The Court was established after passage of HB 1388 in the 1989 General Assembly, as a convenience for local residents and to reduce overtime costs for the Plainfield Police Department. The Town Court handles the following types of cases::
Misdemeanors:
A violation of an Indiana Statute for which a person might be imprisoned up to one year. Fines up to $5,000 can also be added to any period of imprisonment.
Infractions:
A violation of an Indiana Statute for which a person might be fined but not imprisoned. Most traffic violations are considered infractions. Fines up to $10,000 may be imposed for infraction violations.
Ordinance Violations:
Plainfield Town Ordinance violations such as fire code, building code, animal control violations, and traffic violations can be heard in the Town Court with fines up to $2,500 being imposed for the ordinance violations.
Pursuant to the Indiana Statutes, Judge Spencer has established a traffic violations bureau which lists the fines and costs for first violations of minor traffic offenses. The violations bureau allows most people issued traffic violations the opportunity to pay the fine and court costs before their due date. Use of the violations bureau is voluntary and those individuals wishing to request a trial may do so any time prior to their initial court date or due date by personally going to the Town Court during normal business hours of 9:00 - 11:00 am and 12:30 - 4:30 pm Monday thru Friday with your identification and entering a not guilty plea with one of the Clerks. A trial date will be given to you at that time.
Court sessions are held each Tuesday evening (except the fifth Tuesday of a month) in the Town Court located at 1075 W. Main St. Bench trials for ordinance violations are held the first Tuesday of the month at 5:00 p.m. All other hearings and trials for infractions and misdemeanors are conducted at 6:30 p.m.
The Court office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 11:00 am and 12:30 to 4:30 pm to accept payments for the fines, court costs and probation fees, and to respond to procedural questions regarding pending cases. All Court sessions are open to the public if seating space allows.
