St. Tammany Parish Criminal Defense Lawyer for Northshore Arrests

Three kinds of courts: where your St. Tammany case may land

Your St. Tammany Parish case will be heard in one of three kinds of courts, depending on the charge and where the arrest happened. Check the court name on your bond paper or summons before you do anything else.

• 22nd Judicial District Court, 701 N. Columbia Street, Covington, LA 70433. This is the parish's main criminal court. It hears every felony, and it also serves Washington Parish. Cases are prosecuted by the 22nd Judicial District Attorney's Office at the same address.
• City Court of East St. Tammany, 501 Bouscaren Street, Slidell, LA 70458. Formerly called the City Court of Slidell, it serves Wards 8 and 9 and handles traffic, misdemeanors and juvenile matters, along with civil cases.
• Mandeville Mayor's Court, Mandeville City Hall, 3101 East Causeway Approach, Mandeville, LA 70448. It hears misdemeanor traffic summonses, misdemeanor arrests and city ordinance violations from inside Mandeville.

Covington runs its own mayor's court for some city matters as well. Because the name of the Slidell court changed, older paperwork and websites may still say "Slidell City Court." It is the same court.

Booking at the St. Tammany Parish Jail in Covington

The parish jail is the St. Tammany Parish Jail at 1200 Champagne Street in Covington, operated by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office. Arrests on the Northshore can be made by the Sheriff's Office, State Police or city police in Slidell, Mandeville and Covington.

After booking, Louisiana law says the person must see a judge within 72 hours, not counting weekends and legal holidays. If the arrest was made without a warrant, a judge should also find probable cause within 48 hours. Bail can be set or reviewed at that first appearance, and that is where having a lawyer who already knows the facts can help.

Want to know how a judge decides on bond? Read our guide on how bail works in Louisiana, or see our bail and bond hearing page.

A timeline for the first weeks of a St. Tammany felony case

Louisiana sets firm deadlines the State must meet after an arrest. Knowing them helps you hold the government accountable if a case stalls.

1. Within 48 hours: probable cause review for a warrantless arrest.
2. Within 72 hours: first appearance before a judge (weekends and holidays excluded).
3. Within 60 days: the 22nd JDC District Attorney must formally charge a jailed felony defendant. The deadline is 30 days for a jailed misdemeanor defendant, 150 days for a felony defendant who is out on bail and 90 days for a misdemeanor defendant out on bail.
4. Within 30 days of the charge: arraignment, unless there is just cause for delay.
5. After a motion for speedy trial: a felony trial should start within 120 days if the person is in custody, or 180 days if out on bail.

If the State misses the charging deadline, the person must be released or the bail obligation is discharged, unless the State shows just cause. A lawyer tracks these dates for you.

What families on the Northshore can do right now

If someone you love is in the St. Tammany Parish Jail, your first call should be to a criminal defense lawyer, before the first appearance if possible. Then:

• Confirm the person's full name, date of birth and the arresting agency.
• Find out which court the case is in: the 22nd JDC, the City Court of East St. Tammany or a mayor's court.
• Gather proof of a job, school and family ties for a bond hearing.
• Ask them not to discuss the case on jail calls, which may be recorded.

Call (504) 905-8399. We answer 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays, and the first consultation is free and confidential.

DWI arrests on the Northshore

A DWI arrest in St. Tammany Parish starts two separate cases: the criminal charge and an administrative license suspension through the Office of Motor Vehicles. You have only 30 days from the arrest to request an OMV hearing, or the suspension takes effect automatically.

• The officer keeps your license and gives you a receipt that works as a temporary license for up to 30 days.
• A first failed test between 0.08% and 0.149% brings a 180-day suspension. At 0.15% or higher it is 2 years.
• A first refusal brings a 1-year suspension.
• In many cases you can get a restricted license right away once an ignition interlock is installed.

Where the criminal DWI is heard depends on the arrest location. A Slidell-area DWI may go to the City Court of East St. Tammany, while a third offense DWI is a felony that goes to the 22nd JDC. See our Slidell DWI lawyer and Covington DWI lawyer pages, and our guide to the OMV hearing.

Do you come to court on the Northshore?

Yes. Barry S. Ranshi handles cases in St. Tammany Parish, and it is one of the parishes listed in his practice. The 22nd JDC in Covington is about 40 to 45 minutes (roughly 35 miles) from our Kenner office across the Causeway, and Slidell is about 40 to 45 minutes as well.

You can meet with us in person or remotely, so you do not have to cross the lake just to get advice. Call (504) 905-8399 to set it up. Barry is a former Orleans Parish prosecutor and former public defender, and he was selected to Super Lawyers in 2024.

Distance should never decide who defends you. Before you hire anyone, ask how they will handle court dates across the lake, how fast they return calls and who will actually stand next to you in the courtroom. With us, it is Barry or one of our attorneys, not a stranger.

Northshore communities and the cases we defend

We represent people from across St. Tammany Parish, including Slidell, Mandeville, Covington, Madisonville, Abita Springs and Lacombe. Visit your city's page for local details:

• Slidell criminal defense lawyer and Slidell drug lawyer
• Mandeville criminal defense lawyer
• Covington criminal defense lawyer and Covington drug lawyer

Charges we defend in St. Tammany include DWI, drug possession and distribution, domestic abuse battery, theft, weapons charges, probation violations and juvenile cases. We also help clean up old records through expungement.