About Casa Grande Justice Court
Casa Grande, Arizona is located approximately halfway between Tucson and Phoenix in Pinal County. Casa Grande was founded in 1879 as the result of the Southern Pacific Railroad during Arizona’s mining boom. Because of fires destroying the early settlement and the slowdown of mining, it took several decades for the town to see any growth. It wasn’t until 1915 when the agriculture industry was introduced that the town began to flourish. During the World War II Era, there was a Japanese-American relocation camp that was set outside of Casa Grande, called the Gila River War Relocation Center. It was known to be one of the least oppressive camps and it was said that internees were allowed access to the amenities of Phoenix, as well as to participate in recreational activities.
Thompson Rodney Peart was one of the founding fathers of Casa Grande, and today the city possesses a few notable fixtures that were named after him, including Peart Park. With its affordable housing, the addition of industrial manufacturing creating job growth, and being equidistant to two major cities in Arizona, Casa Grande has grown to a population of about 53,657 and is the largest city in Pinal County.
Common Offenses in Casa Grande
Criminal or Excessive Speeding
Citations for criminal speeding or excessive speeding are the most common violations we see out of the Casa Grande Justice Court. Most violations occur on the I-10, as this stretch of roadway is usually light in terms of traffic and is straight and wide-open. 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.
Reckless Driving
Reckless driving is another very common violation charged out of the Casa Grande 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.
Casa Grande Justice Court Judges & Hearing Officers
The Casa Grande Justice Court is part of the Pinal County Justice System
prosecuting individuals for Driving Under the Influence, Criminal Speeding, Reckless Driving, Traffic Ticket Violations and other misdemeanor crimes.
The Court has one main criminal Judge:
- Justice of the Peace John Ellsworth
Our office is located 1 hour away from the Casa Grande Justice Court and our attorneys have years of experience in every corner of this system. If you have been charged with a crime or traffic in ticket please contact our office to schedule a free case evaluation at (602) 603-4691 or schedule an appointment online.
Casa Grande Justice Court Criminal Case Process
The Casa Grande Justice Court runs criminal cases in five main stages:
- Arraignment: This is the first court date in any criminal case. At this setting, the Court wants to know whether you want to plead guilty or not guilty, set your case to a trial, retain an attorney, and whether you understand your rights. The Court will also advise you of the maximum penalties you could face under the law as it related to the crime with which you were charged. Generally, our office is retained well before this court date, and we file paperwork to vacate this court date on your behalf.
- Pre-Trial Conference: This is the next setting that follows after the arraignment. This is a pre-trial conference (“PTC”) where the state generally makes their first plea offer. An unrepresented individual may meet with the prosecutor who will advise that they are representing the state. If you retain our law firm, you are not required to attend this hearing as we appear on your behalf. In the time between the arraignment and the pre-trial conference, our office requests all preliminary discovery including police reports, body cam footage, etc.
- Case Management Conference: This is the setting that follows the pre-trial conference. At this setting, the Court wants to know the status of the case, including whether case interviews have been completed or whether blood results have been disclosed if applicable. The Court also inquires as to the status of discovery and whether there are any outstanding issues at the time. Again, if you retain our law firm you are not required to be present for this setting.
- Trial Readiness Conference: This is the final setting before trial. At this stage, it must be determined whether the case will be resolved via a change of plea or whether the case will proceed to trial. The vast majority of cases never proceed to trial and are resolved at this setting. Depending upon the nature of your charges, you may be required to be present unless you receive notification otherwise from our firm.
- Trial: This is the final main phase of the Bowie case process. At this stage, we will be entitled to cross examine the state’s witness and our team will present our case on your behalf. Depending upon the nature of the charges alleged against you, you may or not be entitled to a jury in your matter. You must be present at this hearing.
The entirety of the process generally takes about 3-4 months, depending upon the complexity of your case and the nature of the charges alleged against you. Our office has represented hundreds of individuals in the Casa Grande Justice Court, and we know the process and system well. Please contact our law firm if you have questions about a criminal or civil case in Casa Grande at (602) 603-4691.
About the Judge, John Ellsworth
Judge John Ellsworth was elected Justice of the Peace of the Casa Grande Justice Court in 2014 and has been on the bench ever since. In our subjective opinion, Judge Ellsworth is a very reasonable Judge and uses his discretion in situations that warrant action from the bench.
Casa Grande Justice Court sees a very high number of traffic violations, and Judge Ellsworth takes these violations seriously. This jurisdiction at times sees devastating accidents, resulting in injuries and deaths. It seems to us that Judge Ellsworth is using his position as a Judge to encourage and promote safe driving while not being overly punitive in his rulings.
Prior to serving on the bench, Judge Ellsworth had retired from the Pinal County Sheriff’s office as a lieutenant. His earlier careers included enlisting in the United States Air Force as a military police offer, joining the Casa Grande Police Department and retiring 20 years later as a Sergeant, and serving three years for the Arizona Department of Corrections as a criminal investigator.
Officers Patrolling Casa Grande
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.
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.
Casa Grande Justice Court Location and Contact Information
820 E. Cottonwood Ln.
Casa Grande, AZ 85122
Phone: (520)-866-7475
Hiring a Casa Grande Defense Lawyer
Our office represents a very large number of people charged with offenses in Casa Grande. 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.
