About Bagdad-Yarnell Justice Court
The Bagdad-Yarnell Justice Court is located in Yarnell, AZ, a very small town in northern Arizona. Yarnell is a census-designated place in Yavapai County. It is a ranching and mining community and was named after a prospector named Harrison Yarnell, who discovered the Yarnell Gold Mine in 1873.
Yarnell Hill is a popular scenic drive that runs along State Route 89. In 2013, there was a devastating wildfire on Yarnell Hill that killed 19 firefighters, the biggest casualty fire in the history of Arizona. The fire was believed to have been caused by a lightning strike, and the high winds quickly made it grow to expand over 8,300 acres in just a matter of days. The Yarnell Hill fire is said to have been the deadliest fire in the United States for over 30 years.
Visitors to Yarnell can shop for antiques, go hiking, have a bite to eat at one of the town’s diners, or partake in one of the main events that Yarnell hosts annually: the Buzzard’s Bash, which celebrates the seasonal return of turkey vultures migrating back from Mexico, and Yarnell Daze, an antique car parade and festival.
Common Offenses in Bagdad-Yarnell
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Criminal or Excessive Speeding
Citations for criminal speeding or excessive speeding are the most common violations we see out of the Bagdad-Yarnell Justice Court. Most violations occur on the U.S. Highway 89 on Yarnell Hill, as this stretch of roadway quickly curves and sweeps around, making it almost unavoidable for drivers to pick up speed. In Arizona, any speed over 85 miles per hour can be charged as an excessive speeding violation, and it is very easy to travel at these speeds on this road.
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Reckless Driving
Reckless driving is another very common violation charged out of the Seligman Justice Court. Whether this charge is cited on a person’s ticket depends a lot upon the officer who issues the citation. Some officers will only charge this violation in extreme circumstances and other officers will cite it as a matter of common practice. Generally, whether an officer in this jurisdiction issues a reckless driving charge will depend upon the speed, the mile post, whether there were other people in the vehicle, and any other violations observed during the driving.
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Commercial Trucking or CDL Violations
Officers patrolling Seligman also tend to issue trucking violations to commercial drivers regularly. We normally see logbook violations as a result of routine traffic stops and inspections, but also see a large number of seat belt violations. In Arizona, it is a class 1 misdemeanor for a commercial driver to not be wearing their seatbelt. The officers in Seligman will sit on bridges and monitor traffic that passes below them on the I-40. If they see a commercial driver not wearing or improperly wearing a seat belt, they will radio another unit to stop the vehicle and issue a citation.
Bagdad-Yarnell Justice Court Jurisdiction
The Bagdad-Yarnell Justice Court Precinct of Yavapai County includes all of the following towns: Yarnell, Congress, Rincon, Walnut Grove, Kirkland, Wilhoit, Peeples Valley, Bagdad, Hillside, and Yava. It covers a significant portion of the State Route 89.
This portion of Arizona is patrolled by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and there is a strong emphasis on enforcement of traffic violations in this area. On the map below, the major danger zones for enhanced traffic enforcement is detailed in red. If you received a ticket outside of this geographic region but were still cited into the Bagdad-Yarnell Justice Court, there may be a problem with your jurisdiction. Although this is relatively uncommon, it can happen, and it means that your ticket was filed in the wrong jurisdiction.
About the Bagdad-Yarnell Justice Court Judge, Anna Mary Glaab
Judge Anna Mary Glaab was elected Justice of the Peace of the Bagdad-Yarnell Justice Court in 1994 and has been on the bench ever since. In our subjective opinion, Judge Glaab is a very reasonable Judge and uses her discretion in situations that warrant action from the bench.
Bagdad-Yarnell Justice Court sees a very high number of traffic violations, and Judge Glaab takes these violations seriously. This jurisdiction at times sees devastating accidents, resulting in injuries and deaths. It seems to us that Judge Glaab is using her position as a Judge to encourage and promote safe driving while not being overly punitive in his rulings.
Judge Glaab was awarded Judge of the Year in 2014 by the Arizona Supreme Court. Chief Justice Scott Bales of the Arizona Supreme Court said, “She inspires trust and confidence in the Arizona court system and demonstrates leadership in her courtrooms.”
Officers Patrolling Bagdad-Yarnell
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Officer D. Redig, Badge Number 06331
Officer Doug Redig is an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer who writes a very large number of traffic tickets out of this jurisdiction. If speeds approach 100 miles per hour or higher, he will generally cite an individual with both criminal / excessive speeding and reckless driving. This results in clients being charged with both a class 2 misdemeanor and a class 3 misdemeanor facing a total of 11 points. According to many of our clients, interactions with Officer Redig can be very stern and tense and cause a lot of anxiety.
In this citation, Officer Redig used a radar device to estimate this individual’s speed, and issued a citation for both charges, reckless driving and criminal speeding.
Officer Redig also uses a laser speed measurement device, having the proper certifications to do so. Again, in this citation he cited this individual for both reckless driving and criminal speeding.
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Officer B. Krum, Badge Number 010134
Officer Krum is another Department of Public Safety Officer who writes tickets and does traffic patrol out of the Seligman Justice Court area. His style of writing tickets is less thorough than Officer Redig’s, who tends to be very precise. In the following citation, he only wrote this individual for criminal speeding and not reckless driving.
Hiring a Bagdad-Yarnell Defense Lawyer
Our office represents a very large number of people charged with offenses in Yarnell. On a great majority of our cases, we are able to prevent our clients from having any criminal record and resolve their case without them ever having to return to Arizona. We provide representation on a flat fee basis, offer affordable payment plans and deliver a proper defense with a team dedicated to solving traffic related cases.
Contact us today for a free, no obligation case evaluation. Send us your citation and your information below and we will review your matter as soon as possible.
