State v. Jones

The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals finding that the citation that charged the offense for which Defendant was convicted was legally sufficient to properly invoke the trial court’s subject-matter jurisdiction, holding that the trial court had subject-matter jurisdiction to enter judgment in this criminal proceeding.Defendant was convicted of operating a motor vehicle when having an open container of alcohol in the passenger compartment while alcohol remained in his system. On appeal, Defendant argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction in this criminal matter because the citation purporting to charge him of the charged offense failed to allege all of its essential elements. The court of appeals affirmed. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the citation included sufficient criminal pleading contents in order to properly charge Defendant with the misdemeanor offense for which he was found guilty. View "State v. Jones" on Justia Law