Criminal defense in Platte County

If you are facing a criminal charge in Platte County — a felony, a misdemeanor, or a DWI filed in the county court — the first useful step is to know which court has the case and what the next date requires. David McDonald of McDonald Law Firm LLC has 17+ years of trial experience. The firm’s office is at 504 Main Street, Platte City, MO 64079. Call 816-510-1084 for a free consult.

What a Platte County criminal case is

Platte County criminal cases are heard in the 6th Judicial Circuit. The county’s circuit clerk lists the courthouse at 328 Main Street, Suite 5-CH, Platte City, MO 64079. Circuit judges and the clerk are also listed at 415 Third Street, Platte City. Use the address on your summons, not a guess about which building is “the courthouse.”

You do not have to live inside Platte City limits for this page to apply. If the charging paper names Platte County, this is the page. Felony charging and many misdemeanor cases land in circuit court even when the stop happened in a smaller city in the county. Charge detail stays on felony defense, misdemeanors, and DWI / DUI. This page is about the county court, not a second copy of those articles.

If the paper is only a Platte City citation and you are not sure it has been filed in circuit court, start with Platte City criminal defense or call. The number is the same.

First appearance in Platte County

A first appearance in a Platte County criminal case is usually the date when the charge is stated on the record, the court asks about counsel, and release or bond conditions may be addressed. A later date is often set. Some people call this an arraignment. The summons controls the time, place, and whether you must be there in person. If you miss it, a warrant can follow. That is general information about how these cases often start, not advice about your division or your date.

Read the charging document before you call. On the consult, David can explain what it appears to say and what the next date is for. He will not tell you to skip court based on this webpage. For the usual sequence after that first date, see court process.

Local proof, stated only as fact

The office is at 504 Main Street, Platte City, MO 64079 — in the county seat, for people whose case is in this courthouse circuit. David has 17+ years of trial experience, a free consultation, and an hourly rate of $350. Missouri bar admission 2021; also Kansas 2010 and Oregon 2015. Education, if a reader asks: B.S., Missouri Western State University, 2007, summa cum laude; J.D., Washburn University, 2009.

A client, K.S., wrote: “Over 4 years on our case. His professionalism helped save a family member’s life.” That is one client’s words about one case. It is not a promise about yours.

Serious cases he has handled, stated as facts and not as a forecast: Phelps, death-penalty acquittal; Gilmore, acquittal on two death-penalty murder counts; Sheldon, murder charge dismissed; Eldred, death-penalty murder resolved by a five-year plea to a reduced charge; Hamilton, murder charge dismissed at trial.

Who this is for, and who we refer

This page is for people with a criminal case in Platte County Circuit Court, and for family calling for them. That includes felonies and misdemeanors filed in the county, and DWI cases that are in the county court.

It is not for divorce, custody, or civil disputes. It is not a substitute for the charge pages if you already know the charge and only want that explanation — use those links, then call. Traffic tickets are covered on traffic tickets. If you live outside Missouri and Kansas and the issue is a ticket here, out-of-state is the right companion page. If David does not take the case, he will say so on the consult rather than stretch the practice into work the firm does not do.