An arraignment is the first court hearing after the defendant has been charged. If the person was arrested, the arraignment will take place at 2:00 p.m. the next business day (on occasion this can change depending on staffing/holidays). If the person was not arrested but charged, that person will be sent a summons to appear for arraignment and the Court will set a date for him/her to appear.
All hearings are held at the Olympia Municipal Court located in the Lee Creighton Justice Center at 900 Plum Street, Olympia, Washington, 98507.
At arraignment, the defendant enters a plea of guilty or not guilty. On a plea of guilty, there is no need for a trial. The defendant may be sentenced and ordered to comply with a number of conditions to include but not limited to: no contact with the victim; domestic violence treatment; obtain a drug/alcohol and/or a mental health assessment; probation; pay restitution.
On a plea of not guilty, the case is set over to a pretrial hearing and the Judge may impose conditions of release. The Judge may order the defendant to post bail, abstain from drugs/alcohol, honor imposed protection orders. If you (the victim) do not attend but want to know hearing results, contact Victim Assistance at 360.753.8408.
In domestic violence cases, the Judge will usually issue a No Contact Order at arraignment (even if the victim does not want it) prohibiting the defendant from all contact with the victim and also restrain the defendant from returning to the shared residence. Please go to the “Frequently Asked Questions” section if you do not want a No Contact Order (NCO) or would like one dropped. As the crime victim, you can also call the Victim Assistance Coordinator about any NCO questions or concerns.