questions & answers

Question: i was looking up a justice court criminal case on the Arizonas judicial branch website, which is related to a legal situation that that I am involved in at the present time. I noticed that in the disposition section of the case it states 'comp dismissed by cty atty'. The reason that I ask my question is I thought that only a judge can dismiss a case, in a justice court. I would appreciate it if someone could give me as much information concerning my question as possible.My question is can a county attorney dismiss a criminal case, which is in a local justice court?

Answer: Ordinarily the County Attorney will submit a Motion to Dismiss for the judges signiture. If the case is resolved via a plea bargain the Sentencing Minute Entry would be the formal document dismissing some of the charges. However, if charges are dismissed pursuant to a Motion by the State the on line entry frequently states "comp. dismissed by county attorney".