On this page
Your court date is in Edgard, not LaPlace
If your case is in St. John the Baptist Parish, plan on going to Edgard. The 40th Judicial District Court's east bank courthouse at 1020 Cambridge Drive in LaPlace is listed by the court as closed due to Hurricane Ida damage.
The court says all jury and bench trials, all traffic and misdemeanor matters, and monthly felony motions are heard at its Edgard location, 2393 Highway 18. Edgard is the parish seat, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. There is no city or mayor's court in LaPlace, so felonies, misdemeanors, DWIs and traffic tickets all run through the 40th JDC.
Read your summons or bond paperwork closely. If anything is unclear about where or when to appear, call us at (504) 905-8399 before the date.
Booked in LaPlace: what happens next
LaPlace is unincorporated, so arrests are made by the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office. People arrested are held at the Lt. Sherman Walker Correctional Facility, also called the St. John Parish Correctional Center, at 100 Deputy Barton Granier Drive in LaPlace.
Within 72 hours of arrest, not counting weekends and legal holidays, the person must be brought before a judge. The judge explains the person's rights, appoints a lawyer if needed and sets or reviews bail. If the state does not file formal charges in time, a person in jail must be released: 30 days for a misdemeanor and 60 days for a felony, unless there is just cause.
See our pages on bail and bond hearings and how bail works in Louisiana.
Domestic abuse battery charges in St. John Parish
A domestic abuse battery charge carries mandatory jail time, even on a first offense. A first conviction brings a fine of $300 to $1,000 and 30 days to 6 months in jail, with at least 48 hours served without benefit of probation or parole. Probation requires either 4 days in jail or 64 hours of community service, plus 26 weekly sessions of a domestic abuse intervention program.
The stakes go beyond the sentence:
- A conviction bars you from having a firearm for 10 years under Louisiana law, and federal law adds a lifetime ban.
- Domestic abuse battery cannot be expunged under the usual misdemeanor rules.
- Penalties rise sharply if a child 12 or younger was present, or if strangulation is alleged.
Learn more on our domestic violence defense page and in our guide to domestic abuse battery in Louisiana.
Protective orders often come with the arrest
A domestic case in LaPlace may also bring a protective order that keeps you away from your home or children. A court can issue a temporary restraining order without you there if it finds immediate and present danger. The hearing on the protective order must then be set within 21 days.
That hearing matters. What you say there can be used in your criminal case, and violating an order is its own crime: up to $500 and 6 months for a first violation, more if a battery is involved. Talk to a lawyer before the hearing.
Other charges we help LaPlace clients with
Domestic cases are only part of the picture. We also help clients with St. John Parish cases involving:
- DWI and traffic tickets
- Drug charges
- Gun and weapons charges
- Outstanding warrants
- Federal charges. St. John the Baptist Parish is in the Eastern District of Louisiana, where Barry is admitted to practice.
A DWI arrest anywhere in the parish starts two clocks at once. You have 30 days from the arrest to request an OMV hearing to fight the license suspension, and the criminal case moves separately in Edgard. A third DWI is a felony that carries 1 to 5 years, so prior convictions matter a great deal.
Close to our Kenner office
LaPlace is one of the closer communities to our office: about 20 to 25 minutes (roughly 20 miles) from Kenner. The courthouse in Edgard is about 40 to 45 minutes (roughly 33 miles) away. Barry's practice is centered in Greater New Orleans, and we also help clients with cases in St. John the Baptist Parish.
Barry S. Ranshi is a former Orleans Parish Assistant District Attorney who now focuses only on criminal defense. Associate Attorney Patricio Ramos is also a former prosecutor. You can meet us in Kenner or set up a remote consultation by phone or video.
Call (504) 905-8399. We answer 24/7, and your first consultation is free and confidential.
Reserve, Garyville, Montz and Edgard
We also hear from people in Reserve, Garyville, Montz and Edgard. Wherever you live in the parish, the same court in Edgard and the same correctional center in LaPlace usually apply.
For more about the parish's courts and DA's office, see our St. John the Baptist Parish criminal defense page.