Where Manassas DUI Cases Are Heard

Any DUI that is charged in Manassas is going to be held at the Court Complex on Lee Avenue in Manassas, Virginia. That is the only location in that county where any of these kinds of cases are heard, regardless of whether it is General District Court, Circuit Court, or even a case that comes in Juvenile and Domestic Court.

For a DUI charge, when an individual first arrives they will want to go to the second floor of the courthouse and look for a video monitor, which will tell them which of the five courtrooms they will be in. Since there are numerous options available, if a person is at all uncertain of where they should go, they should contact their attorney to clarify.

Manassas Courthouse Information

The Court Complex in Manassas houses all of the courts that sit within Prince William County, as well as some of the cities and towns that sit within the Prince William County. That includes the Circuit Court, the General District Court, and the Juvenile and Domestic Court. The Juvenile and Domestic Court is on the first floor, the General District Court is on the second floor, and the Circuit Court is on the third floor.

The General District Court will hear all misdemeanor cases involving adults who are defendants, unless there is a juvenile who is a victim. This is not going to apply to DUIs, so any adult charged with a DUI misdemeanor will have their case heard and tried in General District Court.

If someone is charged with a DUI third or subsequent offense, that is a felony under Virginia law. If that is what the defendant is charged with, their case will begin in General District Court, which will have a preliminary hearing on the case.

If at the preliminary hearing the judge determines that there is probable cause for the case to go forward, it will then be transferred up to the Circuit Court where it will be set for trial, and ultimately the case will be decided.

Are All DUI Cases Heard in The Same Courtroom?

Not all DUI cases take place in the same courtroom. In fact the vast majority of DUIs or misdemeanor cases will be heard in the General District Court where there are five different General District Court rooms.

Typically courtrooms one and two are used for motions and bond hearings and the active dockets take place in courtrooms three, four, and five. If you have a DUI, your case will be assigned to one of these three courtrooms.

Courthouse Security

Security personnel at the Manassas courthouse consists of the Prince William County Sheriff’s Department, who is charged with the security of that building. There is a large security presence both at the entrances, as well as the courtrooms.

Security is very helpful in assisting people in finding where they need to go and in answering their questions; however, they do expect that defendants will have minimum levels of behavior inside the courtrooms including that they not talk, chew gum, or wear hats.

Companion Felony Charges

If there is a companion felony charge, both of those charges will begin in General District Court. Typically, both cases will then proceed together to a preliminary hearing on the felony case in the General District Court. Depending on what happens at that preliminary hearing, the misdemeanor case, which is the DUI, may be resolved at that first hearing or it may continue on with the felony charge up the Circuit Court for both of the cases to be resolved together.