Smryna, Georgia is a city in south Cobb County that has approximately 55,000 residents. Smyrna has seen significant growth recently with the redevelopment of a downtown. This area has numerous new homes, shops, restaurants and watering holes.
With this increase in local nightlife has come an increase in police presence on Smyrna roadways especially at night and on the weekends. The Smyrna Police Department (SPD) has a reputation for tough enforcement of traffic laws and especially DUIs. The SPD has 98 officer when it is fully staffed and has 2 officers assigned to the DUI Task Force. In 2014, the SPD made a total of 515 arrests and the two DUI Task Force Officers made 287 of those cases.
If you are arrested for DUI in the city limits of Smyrna, your case will start in the Municipal Court of Smyrna located at 2800 King Street, Smyrna, Georgia 30080. Judge Alton Curtis is the Chief Judge in Smyrna and he has a reputation of being tough but fair. You and you lawyers will have to decide whether or not to keep the case in Smyrna Municipal Court or “bind the case over” to the State Court of Cobb County in downtown Marietta, Georgia. As a general rule, municipal courts in Georgia are only allowed to have “judge” or “bench trials”. If an individual wishes to have a trial by jury, the case must be “bound over” to State Court (or Superior Court if a county does not have a state court). The decision of where to handle your DUI case is an important one and should be made only after speaking with your lawyer.
If you have been charged with DUI or any other offense in the Municipal Court of Smyrna, call one of the attorneys at Smith, Schnatmeier, Dettmering, & Kilgo, LLP for a free case evaluation at (770) 771-5097.