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Prosecuting Attorney

 

Wayne Williams, Prosecuting Attorney

55 South Third Street, Room 7                                         
Ste. Genevieve, MO  63670                               
Phone:  573-883-2791 option 9                                       
Fax:       573-883-9636 
Email (preferred contact method):  office@stegenpa.com 

Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

A crime has occurred...

 

When a crime is reported, law enforcement agencies are responsible for conducting an investigation. After completing their investigation, the law enforcement agency may submit their reports to the prosecuting attorney. The prosecuting attorney then reviews the reports and decides whether or not to charge an individual with a crime. 

 

 

Criminal or civil?

 

Many people are confused by the distinction between civil and criminal matters. The majority of disputes between individuals are civil in nature. You can contact law enforcement to help you determine if the situation is criminal or civil. If it is determined to be a civil matter, our office cannot assist you. You can contact a civil defense attorney of your choosing, or contact the Circuit Clerk's office for additional information at (573) 883-2265 option 1 and request to speak to the "civil side". 

 

 

How to track a case

 

You can track this case by visiting: https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet.

~To search by name click on “Litigant Name Search”.  Then find and click on “Ste. Genevieve County - 24th Judicial Circuit” under “Search for cases in”, enter the defendant’s first and last name, enter the year the charges were filed to narrow your search, then click “Find”.  The case will be given a “Case Number” within a few days of issuing the charges.

~To search by case number click on “Case Number Search”. Enter the case number in “Case Number” and then click find.

 

You may also request case tracking notifications to be sent directly to you via one or all of the following ways:

 

 

Victim's Rights

 

The Missouri Constitution and Missouri statutes give victims of crime important rights, including the right to information about their cases and to be present and heard at stages in criminal proceedings. Information about cases may be accessed through the methods referenced above in the "How to track a case" section of this site. A full list of these rights can be found at: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=595.209&bid=33280&hl=

 

 

Victims seeking financial reimbursement/restitution

 

If you have suffered any financial loss as a result of a crime prosecuted by our office and are seeking reimbursement, you must immediately provide our office with copies of receipts, invoices, estimates, and/or any other documentation you think may be important for us to determine a fair restitution amount. These losses would include damage to property, medical expenses, and/or lost days of work as a result of this crime.  We cannot guarantee restitution collection, but we will make every effort to assist you.  

 

If you are the victim of a violent crime and suffer physical injury, or are the family member of a deceased victim who meets these criteria, you may be eligible for compensation through the Missouri Crime Victims' Compensation Program (CVC).  The CVC is a separate entity from our office, and is sometimes a more immediate and viable option for restitution compensation.  The CVC can cover medical and counseling costs, lost wages, funeral expenses, etc.  However, property losses are not covered through said program.  To determine eligibility or to access this application online you may visit their website: http://dps.mo.gov/dir/programs/cvc/.  You may also reach them via phone at: (573) 526-6006. You can submit restitution loss documentation to both our office and the CVC.  If the CVC compensates you at any time, they should notify our office, but we do require that you notify us as well.

 

 

Are you a victim no longer wanting charges to be sought?

 

If you are the victim of a crime and no longer wish to press charges, you will need to provide a notarized written statement explaining why you feel the charges should be dropped. Even if you provide a notarized written statement, the prosecuting attorney can still opt to proceed with charges.

 

 

Defendant’s Rights

 

Defendants have the right to be represented by counsel and the right to have the State of Missouri provide a public defender if the defendant cannot afford to hire his or her own lawyer. You can fill out a Public Defender Application in the Circuit Clerk’s office at the Ste. Genevieve County Courthouse, or call the Public Defender’s Office directly at (573) 218-7080.

 

 

Traffic Tickets

 

 To plead guilty

 

Depending on the charge you might be able to plead guilty to original charges and pay through “Plead and Pay” by finding your case on https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet. You can also contact the Circuit Clerk’s office by phone (573) 883-2265 option 1, to see how you can plead guilty to original charges.

 

Request for an offer/amendment 

 

If you are an individual trying to get your traffic ticket(s) amended to a non-moving violation, you can contact our office by sending us an email requesting an amendment at office@stegenpa.com. Make sure you include the case number or ticket numbers, your full name and any documents we might need (examples: proof of insurance, vehicle registration, notice of reinstatement from DOR). We will email you back an offer letter if applicable. If you agree with the terms on the offer letter, you will need sign and return the recommendation letter to the Circuit Clerk’s office . The signed recommendation letter will serve as your guilty plea.

 

However, if you do not hear back from us, and/or you do not have your signed offer returned to the Circuit Clerk's office (and confirm receipt) prior to the court date on your ticket(s)/summons  - then you must appear in court. Failure to appear may result in a warrant being issued for your arrest. 

 

If you are an attorney you can e-file an Entry of Appearance and Request for Recommendation. We will then e-file the recommendation letter on Case.net.

 

*Fines, LERF and court cost are collected through the Circuit Clerk’s office.

 

 

Restitution Payments

 

Restitution payments can be made payable to the Missouri Lawyer Trust Account Foundation Ste. Gen Co Prosecuting Attorney (MLTAF Ste. Gen P.A.) in the form of a money order or cashier’s check only. You can also pay by credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) through a service we use called CourtMoney. If you wish to pay by phone, payment may be made by calling at 1-877-222-4668 or visiting www.courtmoney.com and giving them form # 117802 along with your case number. There are fees for using the CourtMoney service, $2.00 minimum, over $50-4% and additional $3.50 for phone fee. If you use CourtMoney services it does take 2-3 days usually to clear. We can only credit your case once the payment clears through CourtMoney.

 

Bad Check

Procedure for Reporting to Prosecutor’s Office

Complete a bad check complaint form , and then provide our office with that and the original or legal copy of the bad check(s) showing the reason for dishonor by the bank.

Our office will then mail a letter to the writer of the bad check in attempt to collect. If we do not receive a response, we will make every effort to pursue prosecution. Not all checks are appropriate for prosecution. Each check will be considered on a case by case basis.

 

Requirements for Prosecution

 

In order to win prosecution of a bad check case in court, the prosecutor must be able to prove that a certain individual wrote a specific check. Since many weeks have passed from the time the check was accepted until the time of the first court date, we require the following information be obtained:

  •       Driver’s license number, state of issuance and date of birth on the person writing the check.
  •       Compare the person on the ID with the person presenting it to make sure they match. That way, if you cannot recognize the person later at trial, you can testify that you always compare the person to the driver’s license photograph and you did so in this particular case.
  •       Require a current physical address and phone number.
  •       Make sure the check is completely filled out, dated, signed and legible.

*Cashing a check is a privilege, not a right. You are not required to accept a check from anyone. You have to the right to insist upon cash or money orders. Sometimes refusing to accept a personal check will save you time and money in the long run.

 

WE DO NOT ACCEPT FOR PROSECUTION:

* Checks without the required ID information

* Third party checks

* Checks that are beyond the statute of limitations

* Postdated checks

* Out of state checks

* Checks where the parties made an agreement to hold the check

* The check writer cannot be identified

* The account holder is deceased

* The person who physically accepted the check is unknown

* The check is better pursued through litigation

* Checks returned due to Stop Payment

 

Please note: Once a check has been submitted to our office for collection and/or prosecution, you must not accept payment from the defendant. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in refusal to pursue collection and/or prosecution on future checks.

 

Procedure for paying a bad check

 

This is the same procedure as listed in "Restitution Payments" in the previous section on this site.