Disposition letter

[TTUchris]

I recently requested a certified copy of the disposition of my PI arrest from a year ago in Harris County. I received a copy that looks like what I need, but it never indicates the actual crime or reason for the arrest. It is in Houston Municipal Courts letterhead, says "JUDGMENT RECORD AND MINUTES" and below that"The State of Texas vs [TTUchris]" and has a "cause number". It then says:

"THIS DAY THIS CAUSE WAS CALLED FOR TRIAL, AND BOTH PARTIES APPEARED, ANNOUNCED READY FOR TRIAL, AND THE DEFENDANT PLEADED TO THE ACCUSATION IN THE COMPLAINT AND WAIVED A TRIAL BY JURY, AND THE COURT HAVING HEARD THE EVIDENCE IS OF THE OPINION THAT THE DEFENDANT IS GUILTY AS CHARGED. IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED THAT THE STATE OF TEXAS, FOR THE USE AND BENEFIT OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, DO HAVE AND RECOVER OF THE DEFENDANT THE SUM OF $0.00 FOR WHICH EXECUTION WILL ISSUE, AND IN DEFAULT OF PAYMENT, THAT THE DEFENDANT BE COMMITTED TO JAIL UNTIL SAID FINE IS PAID AT THE RATE OF $100 FOR EACH 24-HOUR PERIOD SERVED.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED THAT THERE BE COLLECTED FROM THE DEFENDANT ALL COSTS OF THE COURT ON BEHALF OF THE STATE OF TEXAS."

My time served more than covered the court fees. There is a stamp with the city's seal at the bottom and a few signatures. And that's it. Nowhere does it say "Public intoxication" or "class C misdemeanor." Am I just paranoid, or does this not seem very thorough? I specifically asked for a "certified copy of the disposition of my case" and the guy I spoke with seemed to understand just fine and sent it right away. Will the CHL people in Austin be able to look the case up, or will I have some problems? I

[joe817]

IMO I don't think so. If it is certified from the court and it has the wording "Judgment" in it, THAT is what we commonly call "disposition".

Here in Tarrant County it is called "Sentence and Judgment". It took me 5 phone calls to 2 different municipal courts and the county court to learn that "disposition" = "Sentence and Judgment".

I think that is exactly what they are looking for. (P.S. my disposition from Arlington looks almost exactly like yours, and that's what I sent DPS as well).

[USA1]

i dug out mine , it says ..

Harris County District Clerk
Certificate of Disposition

filing date xxxx
case no. xxxx
offense xxxx
level/degree xxxx

and a little more sensitive info that i left out

[joe817]

They actually call it a "Certificate of Disposition"? Well I'll be. I guess you all down there are much more sophisticated than we are up here. And yes, we now have indoor toilets!

Thanks USA1!

[USA1]

They actually call it a "Certificate of Disposition"? Well I'll be. I guess you all down there are much more sophisticated than we are up here. And yes, we now have indoor toilets!

Thanks USA1!

i guess if they call it a certificate , it supposed to make you feel special

[TTUchris]

The Harris County District Clerk had no record on file for me; I had to go to the satellite municipal court where I was jailed. Everything looks very good and official, but it doesn't list the offense, which is why I'm so paranoid.

[USA1]

hmmm , hopefully someone else can offer you more assistance than i can provide .

[joe817]

It's odd that they don't list the particular offense. But they DO list a cause number, which is the paper trail back to the original arrest. Can you go back to the municipal court and get a certified copy of that? And attach that to what you already have? On the other hand, you've given a good faith effort to provide DPS with what they require.

If you are looking for recommendations, I'd say send what you have. If it's not sufficient they will send you a letter detailing what they need. Otherwise, I'm not sure what to tell you. Sorry.

Perhaps someone else will chime in over the weekend to offer their opinion.

[Kevinf2349]

They actually call it a "Certificate of Disposition"? Well I'll be. I guess you all down there are much more sophisticated than we are up here. And yes, we now have indoor toilets!

Thanks USA1!

i guess if they call it a certificate , it supposed to make you feel special

I suspect I know some people that went to a school like that. There ain't no way they graduated normally.