Initial Appearance

The initial appearance is the date and time shown on the citation for you to appear in court. 

You may pay the amount shown on the face of the ticket on or before the initial appearance date.  Such payments will be processed as pleas of no contest and you will be convicted of the violation shown on your ticket. 

If you have not paid your ticket on or before the initial appearance date, you must come to court. Failure to appear may result, among other consequences, in a default conviction being entered against you.  

When you come to court for your initial appearance, please print your name on the sign-up sheet located just outside the courtroom. When court begins, Judge Weigel will spend a few minutes explaining how court works, and then each case will be individually called, usually in the order in which people signed in. The judge will read the charge on the citation and ask how you wish to plead. You may plead guilty, no contest, or not guilty:

Plea Options

Guilty

If you plead guilty, you should expect to be found guilty. The judge may review your driving record, criminal record, police report or other information. You will be given an opportunity to make a statement. A sentence may be imposed, and may include an order that you pay a forfeiture within a certain period of time or other penalties, depending upon the type of violation.

No Contest

If you plead no contest, you are choosing not to contest the charge. A no contest plea cannot be used against you for liability purposes in other civil proceedings. Since you are not contesting the charge, you should expect to be found guilty. The judge may review your driving record, criminal record, police report or other information. You will be given an opportunity to make a statement. A sentence may be imposed, and may include an order that you pay a forfeiture within a certain period of time or other penalties, depending upon the type of violation.

Not Guilty

You may plead not guilty in person, or by mail, including email. A mailed plea must be received by the initial appearance court date, and must clearly list your name, current address and citation(s). If you plead not guilty, your case will be scheduled for a pre-trial conference, which is a mandatory meeting between you and the city prosecutor to discuss the possibility of a settlement. If a proposed resolution is reached, it will be presented to Judge Weigel by letter from the city prosecutor and copied to you. Judge Weigel may approve or reject the proposal. If you and the city prosecutor do not reach an agreed resolution, your ticket(s) will be scheduled for a trial to be held on a later date.

The Verona prosecutor is currently Clementine Uwabera, an attorney with Stafford Rosenbaum of Madison.  She will not be aware of your case and will not discuss it with you until after your ticket is scheduled for a pretrial conference.