What happens at an arraignment in Mohave County?
An arraignment is a proceeding in criminal court. So… what happens at an arraignment? Pursuant to Rule 14.4 of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure at an arraignment the court must do the following:
(a) enter the defendant’s plea of not guilty, unless the defendant pleads guilty or no contest and the court accepts the plea;
(b) decide motions concerning release conditions under Rule 7 if:
(1) the arraignment is held with the defendant’s initial appearance under Rule 4.2;
(2) the moving party provides 5 days’ notice of a contested release motion; or
(3) all parties agree;
(c) set the date for trial or a pretrial conference;
(d) provide written notice of the dates of further proceedings and other important deadlines;
(e) inform the defendant of the following:
(1) the right to counsel and the right to court-appointed counsel if eligible;
(2) the right to jury trial, if applicable;
(3) the right to be present at all future proceedings;
(4) the failure to appear at future proceedings may result in the defendant being charged with a new offense and the court issuing an arrest warrant;
(5) all proceedings may be held in the defendant’s absence, other than sentencing; and
(6) the defendant may lose the right to a direct appeal if the defendant’s absence from sentencing causes sentencing to occur more than 90 days after any conviction;
(f) appoint counsel if applicable;
(g) order a summoned defendant to be 10-print fingerprinted no later than 20 calendar days by the appropriate law enforcement agency at a designated time and place if:
(1) the defendant is charged with a felony offense, a violation of A.R.S. §§ 13-1401 et seq. or A.R.S. §§ 28-1301 et seq., or a domestic violence offense as defined in A.R.S. § 13-3601; and
(2) the defendant does not present a completed mandatory fingerprint compliance form to the court, or if the court has not received the process control number.